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.
Unchecked: The architecture of disinformation
Episode 1: Disinformation and healthcare with Susannah Fox
Stories of Disinformation
Rachel told the story of disinformation in ancient Rome: Octavian’s campaign against Mark Antony.
- The Propaganda of Octavian
- Fake news about Antony and Cleopatra
- BBC: A brief history of fake news
- A short guide to the history of fake news and disinformation
Dan recounted the story of how the Department of Homeland Security is manipulating search engine results… Or are they?
Interview with Susannah Fox
- Susannah's Web site
- Rebel Health, Susannah's book (affiliate link)
Lenses
Interrogable
Information ecosystems sometimes keep participants in the dark, preventing them from understanding more about the information conveyed. While opacity in a system can make it easier to understand, preventing users from becoming disoriented or overwhelmed, it also does not invite users to think critically about the information presented.
- How does the system invite users to interrogate the information being conveyed?
- In other words, how does the system make the "invisible" visible, so that it can be interrogated?
Self-Regulating
In peer-to-peer patient support communities, there are mechanisms that allow community members to indicate the reliability of posted information. If online spaces are like gardens, they should be community gardens, where any participant can contribute to the health of the information.
- How does your system allow participants to regulate the information within the system?
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Personnel
- Dan Brown, Host
- Rachel Price, Host
- Emily Duncan, Editor
Music
- Turtle Up Fool, by Elliot
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Unchecked is a production of Curious Squid
Curious Squid is a digital design consulting firm specializing in information architecture, user experience, and product design
