Unchecked: The architecture of disinformation
Misinformation and disinformation thrive in today’s technology landscape, and arguably present the greatest threat to modern society. Information architecture – the practice of designing and managing digital spaces – has an opportunity to intervene. This podcast looks at disinformation from an information architecture perspective, and considers ways to expand the practice of IA to address this new reality.
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What is Information Architecture? Information architecture is the practice of designing virtual structures – the shape and form of online spaces and digital products. When you click on a navigation menu or follow the steps in a process, you're experiencing the information architecture of a web site or digital product.
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What is disinformation? Understanding disinformation is the purpose of this podcast. We are trying to figure out exactly what it is and what it means. If information architecture is the practice of designing virtual spaces, then disinformation is something that can occupy that space to disrupt the user's experience. Alternatively, it is a way of manipulating the space (like flooding it with irrelevant facts) to achieve an end unrelated to the space's original intention.
Episodes
13 episodes
Episode 12: Disinformation and community moderation, with Karen McGrane
SynopsisKaren McGrane joins Rachel and Dan to explain Reddit from the perspective of a moderator. Reddit is the largest message board on the internet, with thousands of “sub-Reddits” – individual communities based on a topic. Kare...
Episode 11: Disinformation and abortion, with Dr. Ushma Upadhyay
SYNOPSISSpeaking to Dr. Ushma Upadhyay, Rachel and Dan dig into misinformation about abortion – who gets them, why they get them, and how they get them. You may be surprised by some of the answers. Dr. Upadhyay describes her research aro...
Episode 10: Disinformation and nutrition, with Dr. Amelia Finaret
SynopsisFor the 10th episode of Unchecked, Rachel and Dan talk to Dr. Amelia B. Finaret, food economist and clinical dietitian about the state of nutrition misinformation. With the release of the latest dietary guidelines – some o...
Episode 9: Disinformation and climate change, with Zanagee Artis
SYNOPSISZanagee Artis, a climate advocate and educator with Natural Resources Defense Council, joins Rachel and Dan to talk about disinformation in arctic and coastal drilling. Zanagee describes the challenges of addressing disinf...
Episode 8: Disinformation and gun violence, with Nick Suplina
CONTENT WARNINGThis episode of Unchecked deals with the sensitive topic of gun violence.SYNOPSISNick Suplina, Senior VP for Law & Policy at Everytown for Gun Safety joins Rachel and Dan to talk ...
Episode 7: Disinformation and climate culture, with Brandon Schauer
SYNOPSISBrandon Schauer from Rare, a conservation nonprofit, talks to Rachel and Dan about ways to modify behavior to help save the planet. Climate change and its solutions are often too big for an individual person to connect wit...
Episode 6: Disinformation and its consequences, with Prof. Claire Wardle
SYNOPSISDr. Claire Wardle is a disinformation expert and communications professor at Cornell University. She joins Rachel and Dan to talk about the history of disinformation study, how new technology introduces new challenges, and...
Episode 5: Disinformation and cognitive bias, with David Dylan Thomas
SYNOPSISDavid Dylan Thomas joins Rachel and Dan to talk about cognitive biases. David explains the fundamental attribution error, the framing effect, and the confirmation bias. All of these contribute to a skewed perception in which ...
Episode 4: Disinformation and federal information spaces with Dana Chisnell
SYNOPSISDana Chisnell joins Dan and Rachel to talk about information in civic tech. Dana discusses her experience with voting systems, immigration, and homeland security. New executive orders on communicating about people directly af...
Episode 3: Disinformation and vaccines with Dr. Adam Ratner
SYNOPSISRachel and Dan talk to Dr. Adam Ratner, author of the new book Booster Shots, about the misinformation he encounters as a pediatric infectious disease specialist. We d...
Episode 2: Disinformation and civic tech, with Cyd Harrell
SYNOPSISDan and Rachel talk with Cyd Harrell about the challenges of providing information to citizens that is accurate and accessible, even when it needs to be official and formal. Rachel discusses the Accuracy as a lens for eval...
