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SUMMARY:Fake News - Ella McPherson\, Department of Sociology\, University 
 of Cambridge\; John Naughton\, Emeritus Professor of the Public Understand
 ing of Technology\, OU
DTSTART:20170426T110000Z
DTEND:20170426T130000Z
UID:TALK72024@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Johanna J. S. Finnemann
DESCRIPTION:Until recently 'fake news' was something restricted to April F
 ools Day in the public perception\, however the lead-up to the EU referend
 um in the UK and the presidential campaign of Donald Trump have popularise
 d a new connotation of the term. Various dictionaries picked 'post-truth'\
 , 'post-factual' and 'fake news' as their phrases of the year 2016 reflect
 ing a rise in the concern over the intentional spreading of misinformation
  in highly-charged political or social matters. Furthermore the growing di
 strust of objective facts has been linked to anti-intellectualism and anti
 -science sentiments. So where do we as academics stand in this brave new w
 orld of alternative facts\, truthful hyperboles\, hoaxes and circular repo
 rting? Were the events of last year a watershed moment in the history of j
 ournalism and science or a manifestation of a long-term trend? And what ar
 e we to play in the discourse about objective versus subjective reality?\n
 We will be joined in our discussion by Professor John Naughton and Ella Mc
 Pherson.\n\nProfessor John Naughton is Emeritus Professor of the Public Un
 derstanding of Technology at the British Open University and a Senior Rese
 arch Fellow in the Centre for Research in the Arts\, Social Sciences and H
 umanities (Cambridge) where he is currently leading a project on conspirac
 y theories in democratic societies. As an active blogger and journalist fo
 r the Observer he can also offer a journalist's perspective into the role 
 of technology in society and the impact of the digital age on research and
  politics. Has the internet really made it easier to check the facts or is
  the abundance of information muddying the waters? \n\nElla McPherson is a
  Lecturer in the Sociology of New Media and Digital Technology (Cambridge)
  and a Research Associate of the Centre of Governance and Human Rights whe
 re her research focuses on the role of social media in human rights\, acco
 untability and content creation. \nSocial media has generally been seen as
  a major driving force behind the recent shift in public opinion formation
 . It has also blurred the lines between experts and non-experts which can 
 be both seen as empowering or as leading to dangerous information grazing.
  What role is social media really playing in our society and is it promoti
 ng falsehoods and distrust of the facts provided by scientists or rather o
 ffering new avenues of emancipation and autonomy?\n
LOCATION:Room B4\, Institute of Criminology
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