Overview

If you ask someone on the street what’s wrong with the social media experience, more times than not they’ll tell you it’s all the arguing and the “fake news.” But this problem goes beyond just misinformation: it’s also the casting of true information through a lens for the purposeful manipulation of behavior. In the last year, as our online usage patterns have changed, so have the tactics around online manipulation. Dr. Havasi will illustrate her thoughts on these issues using case studies work in public health misinformation from Ebola to COVID-19, terrorist troll farms, and companies that just want to control the narrative around their products. She’ll discuss what she believes is the future of information manipulation and disinformation and discuss ways to mitigate the effects of these trends.