Misinfo Weekly

Sep 07 2023 32 ep. 41 mins 17
Misinfo Weekly Podcast artwork

Misinfo Weekly is an educational podcast for lay audiences dedicated to understanding misinformation in our time. Every week (mostly) we try to provide some perspective on current events in misinformation. The show breaks down basic and advanced concepts in mis and disinformation, as well as helps track and trace how misinformation events come to be. The show is collaboration between the Information Competition Lab, which Michal and Shawn co-lead, and the Unit for Data Science and Analytics at Arizona State University Library. Show conversations are aimed at late high school and beyond.

About your podcasters:

Michael Simeone is a Research Professor in the School of Complex Adaptive Systems at ASU. He studies the limits and capabilities of data science as well as how ideas circulate in different media. You'll find him on Twitter as @michael_simeone.

Shawn Walker is an Assistant Professor of Social Data Science in the School of Social and Behavioral Sciences at ASU. His research focuses on mis and disinformation and online resistance circulating in social media during social movements, protests, and elections as well as the related challenges of collecting, analyzing, and preserving data from social media platforms. You'll find him on Twitter as @walkeroh and online at shown.io.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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The Sound of Freedom and Summer at the Movies with QAnon

Sep 07 2023 29 mins  
In this episode, we talk about the surprise hit film, The Sound of Freedom. We look at expert takes on the film's presentation of child trafficking, and we also discuss some of the conspiracy theories surrounding the distribution of the movie. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Twitter's Chief Misinformation Officer: Our final episode of the Twilogy

Jun 13 2023 38 mins  
After some time has passed, we discuss just how much the Twitter platform has changed, and we look forward to how the spread of misinformation in 2024 on Twitter could be very different from what we have seen previously. We cover persons on the platform, moderation policies, and how users are likely to encounter misinformation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more infor

Twitter is Burning: Straining to Validate the Big Lie and Implications for Future Misinformation Events

Dec 19 2022 27 mins  
Misinformation and issues of content moderation go hand in hand. And there are some lessons to be learned from the current Twitter debacle. We go over some key changes in the platform, and we review some of the ways that Twitter may invite future misinformation. We also review some data about activity on other alt-tech platforms to get a sense of what Twitter and its CEO may repres

The New Twitter under Elon Musk

Dec 05 2022 25 mins  
In this episode, we talk about some early trends and analyses of Twitter under Elon Musk, and we pay particular attention to trends in content moderation, users, and how Twitter stacks up to other platforms during election season. We also think about the cyclical aspects of some social media use. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After the 2022 Midterm: Day-of Misinformation in AZ, the Role of Surrogates, and the Softening the Ground for 2024

Nov 18 2022 18 mins  
In this brief SNAP episode we discuss the role of mis/disinformation in the 2022 US Midterm elections. While many election deniers were not successful in their bids for election, that did not stop misinformation from playing a prominent role leading up to and on the day of the election in the US. We briefly discuss our different experiences voting at the polls in Arizona, the role

2000 Mules: The Election Conspiracy That Won't Go Away

Oct 31 2022 38 mins  
We talk about the resurgence of an election conspiracy film leading up to the 2022 mid-term elections, and we also discuss the changing landscape of misinformation surrounding the election in Arizona and nationwide. Shawn introduces the term "disinfomentary," and we pitch the idea of "Smokey the Election Integrity Bear." Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Parler and January 6th: One Year Later

Jan 19 2022 55 mins  
In this episode, we discuss the impact of the alternative social media platform, Parler, on the January 6th, 2021 attack on the Capitol of the United States. We go through some of the results of our recent data analysis of the archived platform materials, as well as talk about some lessons learned for content moderation and de-platforming. We reference a report for which we both se

Rittenhouse on Facebook: How disinformation and white supremacy go together

Nov 24 2021 30 mins  
Recorded before the verdict in the Kyle Rittenhouse trial, this episode discusses the removal (or blocking?) of any mention of Kyle Rittenhouse on Facebook. Shawn takes Michael to task for confusing censorship with content moderation, and the conversation also explores the relationship between misinformation and recruitment for white supremacist organizations. Transcript can be fou

Plandemic 3: The School Board Edition

Oct 13 2021 55 mins  
In this episode, we take a look at why a viral video from an Indiana school board meeting starring Dr. Dan Stock was so appealing to those opposing masking and vaccination. We discuss the method of argumentation as well as some of the evidence he presents, returning to the theme about the limited efficacy of factual information for combating mis-and dis- information. While Dr. Stoc

Vaccine Misinformation From the Perspective of a Family Medicine Physician

Sep 24 2021 51 mins  
In this episode, we discuss COVID-19 vaccine misinformation with Dr. Margarette Shegog, a family medicine physician in Northern California. We walk through the types of interactions she has with her patients and how she approaches discussions of COVID-19 risk vs the risk of COVID-19 protection measures such as vaccines, masking, and social distancing. We also discuss the relationsh