Symposium on the Future of Libraries
Fake news. Alternative facts. Russian Facebook accounts. Social bots. Combatting the onslaught of misinformation is one of the most pressing problems of our time. While misinformation itself is not new, there is growing consensus that the internet, and in particular social media, has enabled new forms of misinformation that leverage the designs and vulnerabilities of these information platforms. Join this session to hear what the University of Washington is learning about misinformation, the implications of this phenomenon for information institutions, and steps we are taking in public libraries and elsewhere aimed at fostering a more informed society. The goal is to foster a discussion about other library activities around this topic.
Emma Spiro: The nearly continuous, informal exchange of information – including rumoring – is a characteristic human behavior. Individuals utilize social ties to obtain and share information. Emma will discuss how networked information environments provide both opportunities and constraints on misinformation flow in online settings, and how social context plays a role in these processes.
Kate Starbird: Our strategies for making sense of information may make us vulnerable, especially within online spaces, to absorbing and passing along disinformation. Kate will explore some of the motivations and tactics of disinformation, explaining how geopolitical actors use social media and the surrounding information ecosystem to sow doubt and division.
Jevin West: The world is awash in bullshit. Politicians are unconstrained by facts. Science is conducted by press release. Higher education rewards bullshit over analytic thought. In response, Jevin West and Carl Bergstrom created Calling Bullshit (https://callingbullshit.org/), a new approach to digital literacy and critical thinking that is being offered at universities around the globe, and now being spread to high schools and public libraries.
ALA Unit/Subunit: ALA, Center for the Future of Libraries
Meeting Type: Symposium on the Future of Libraries
Cost: Included with full conference registration.
Open/Closed: Open
Emma Spiro
Assistant Professor
University of Washington Information School
Jevin West
Assistant Professor
University of Washington Information School
Chris Coward
Senior Principal Research Scientist and Director, Technology & Social Change Group
Univerity of Washington Information School