Co-sponsored by:
Claire Wardle
Harvard University, Shorenstein Center
Research Fellow, Information Disorder Project, Shorenstein Center
Bio and more information here.
October 22 , 11:30 AM- 1:00 PM
Wexner 434AB, John F. Kennedy School of Government
Watch the full event here:
Joshua Tucker
New York University
Professor of Politics, NYU; Director, Jordan Center for the Advanced Study of Russia
Bio and more information here.
Professor Tucker will review findings from two research projects:
(1) Trumping Hate on Twitter: Measuring the prevalence of online hate speech, with an application to the 2016 U.S. election
Abstract: Despite a growing body of research devoted to defining and detecting online hate speech and extremist rhetoric, the existing scientific literature lacks a systematic framework for assessing how the content and popularity of these harmful messages change over time. We offer a new approach to measuring the real-time prevalence of online hate, using both context-specific data and data produced by a large random sample of users; employing multiple methods of text classification; and measuring not only the volume, but also the proportion, and number of unique users producing it. Here we apply our framework to test the widely-held proposition that Donald Trump's divisive 2016 campaign and election has popularized online hate speech and white nationalist rhetoric in the American Twittersphere. Highlighting the need for such a systematic approach---contrary to the conventional wisdom---our analysis of over one billion tweets demonstrates that online hate did not become more popular on Twitter either over the course of the campaign or in the aftermath of Trump's election.
(2) "Less than you think: Prevalence and predictors of fake news dissemination on Facebook"
Abstract: So-called ``fake news'' has renewed concerns about the prevalence and effects of misinformation in political campaigns. Given the potential for widespread dissemination of this material, we examine the individual-level characteristics associated with sharing false articles during the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign. To do so, we uniquely link an original survey with respondents' sharing activity as recorded in Facebook profile data. First and foremost, we find that sharing this content was a relatively rare activity. Conservatives were more likely to share articles from fake news domains, which in 2016 were largely pro-Trump in orientation, than liberals or moderates. We also find a strong age effect, which persists after controlling for partisanship and ideology: on average, users over 65 shared nearly 7 times as many articles from fake news domains as the youngest age group.
November 2 , 11:30 AM- 1:00 PM
Kathleen Hall Jamieson
University of Pennsylvania
Bio and more information here.
Takis Metaxas
Wellesley College
Bio and more information here.
Wexner 434AB, John F. Kennedy School of Government
Watch full event here:
Will Stevens
U.S. Department of State
Director of the Public Diplomacy Division, Foreign Service Institute
Adam Berinsky
MIT
Mitsui Professor of Political Science, MIT; Director, MIT Political Experiments Research Lab
Bio and more information here.
February 13 , 11:30 AM- 1:00 PM
Wexner 434AB, John F. Kennedy School of Government
Leticia Bode
Georgetown University
Bio and more information here.
TITLE: Wrong Again: Correction of Health Misinformation in Social Media
Abstract: Health misinformation is a growing problem on social media - it spreads quickly, and has implications for both personal behaviors and public health. But social media also offers a unique context for correcting misinformation. Our research agenda explores this potential, considering who can effectively correct health misinformation on social media and under what circumstances. For this talk I will present on several experiments, including published work and some of our newest findings.
Deen Freelon
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Associate Professor, School of Media and Journalism, UNC Chapel Hill
Bio and more information here.
Miriam Metzger
CANCELLED (TO BE RESCHEDULED...)
University of California, Santa Barbara
Professor, Comm & Info Technologies, Department of Communication, UCSB
Bio and more information here.
April 25 , 12:00 - 1:30 PM