We’ll explore the tactics creators of disinformation use– from simple appeals to emotion to high-tech “deep fakes”- and why human psychology makes these incredibly effective. We’ll also consider why disinformation spreads so quickly, considering both the impact of human behavior and the role of algorithms used by social media platforms. And we’ll think about the social and political impact of disinformation, using the war in Ukraine as a case study.

Presenter:Valerie Morkevičius is an assistant professor of Political Science at Colgate. She is currently writing a book about the ethics of disinformation . She also volunteers with a Lithuanian counter-disinformation NGO, DebunkEU, for which she designed a course to teach college students about how disinformation works and how to avoid spreading it.