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Local Misinformation, Small Town Populists, and Platform Politics

Event Type
Lecture
Sponsor
Center for Advanced Study
Virtual
wifi event
Date
Oct 25, 2021   4:00 pm  
Views
33
Originating Calendar
Center for Advanced Study

As the full impact of diminished legacy news becomes increasingly clear, platforms like Facebook have become the home page, front page, and bulletin board for civic life in communities — essential communication infrastructure. However, big tech platforms aren’t concerned with democracy, just profit. While much is known about how platforms enable misinformation spreading and hyper-partisanship at a national and international scale, far less is known about what happens at the local level. Using research from the PPLN-IL project [Platforms, Politics, and Local News in Illinois], this talk explores the challenges to combatting misinformation about COVID-19 on a local level. Of particular concern is a growing phenomenon: opportunistic local politicians using social media to weaponized national political issues into career-boosting opportunities.

About the Speaker:
NIKKI USHER
Associate Professor of Journalism | VISIT WEBSITE
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