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Understanding Authoritarian Information Manipulation and Dissemination

Understanding Authoritarian Information Manipulation and Dissemination

Event Venue:

Deakin Burwood Corporate Centre 221 Burwood HighwayBurwood, VIC, 3125, Australia ( Map )

Description

A 2-day hybrid workshop with experts and scholars whose research captures the state of authoritarian information manipulation and dissemination around the world. The workshop is designed to promote future collaboration and research that informs the dissemination of authoritarianism, and ways to counter it.

Rationale

The rise of repressive and authoritarian “hybrid regimes” is considered among the greatest threats to democracy today. Information suppression and manipulation is a crucial tool that authoritarian regimes and authoritarian populist actors use to spread narratives that undermine democratic institutions. This is not limited to domestic politics as digital technologies are providing authoritarian states the tools to penetrate ‘healthy’ democracies and transcend their authoritarian politics to reach people across national borders. This includes the emigrant diaspora groups residing in democratic countries but originating in authoritarian nations. The transnationalisation of authoritarian politics and narratives enabled by digital technologies is posing significant challenges to the trustworthiness of democratic processes and institutions.

Aims

The workshop aims to provide new conceptual, methodological and empirical insights into the mechanisms by which authoritarian regimes and actors undermine trustworthiness in democratic processes and institutions of other countries. The focus of the conference is to learn from different applied conceptual frameworks and methodologies to shed empirical light on the (digital) strategies used to manipulate democratic narratives, attitudes, and politics. The conference will inform the design of future research and provide much-needed understanding of the complex dissemination of authoritarianism by governments, non-state actors, state-sponsored actors, and political parties/organisations across the world. The workshop especially aims to examine the complexities surrounding the transnational propagation of misinformation and disinformation, investigating its impact on societies, diasporas, politics, and cultures worldwide. We encourage contributions that shed light on this phenomenon across various disciplines and regional contexts. The proliferation and (mis)use of new technologies, directed at manipulating public sentiment, open up new avenues for interdisciplinary investigations into the transnational and international dimensions. Consequently, we pose inquiries into how state actors, those influenced or sponsored by states, and non-state entities manipulate public opinion and sentiments in other countries via digital technologies, polarise societies, and undermine trust in democratic institutions. While extant research has predominantly focused on China and Russia, our conference seeks to glean insights from well-established case studies, including their methodologies, to broaden the scope of research into lesser-explored contexts, where authoritarianism and transnational repression are more subtle.

Programme

DAY ONE - 7 November 2024

Roundtable 1

“Foreign Interference Campaigns on Social Media: Insights from Field Theory and Computational Social Science,” by Robert AcklandProfessor, The Australian National University

Roundtable 2

“Manipulating Truth: Authoritarian Strategies of ‘Attention Bombing’ and ‘Epistemic Modulation’ in Hybrid Media Systems,” by Timothy GrahamAssociate Professor, Queensland University of Technology

Roundtable 3

“The Dark Side of Social Media: Misinformation, Negativity, and Polarisation,” by Jason WeismuellerAssistant Professor, University of Western Australia

Roundtable 4

“The Influence of Familiarity and Identity Relevance on Truth Judgements,” by Li Qian TayPostdoctoral Fellow, The Australian National University

DAY TWO - 8 November 2024

Roundtable 5

“Countering State-Sanctioned Information Operations: The #FreeYouth Movement in Thailand,” Aim SinpengAssociate Professor, The University of Sydney

Roundtable 6

“Investigating Everyday Online Experiences with Misinformation and Responding with Evidence-Informed Media Literacy Education Initiatives,” by Tanya NotleyAssociate Professor, Western Sydney University

Roundtable 7:

“Reforming the Curriculum to Counter Disinformation, Toxicity and Polarisation,” by Mathieu O’NeilProfessor, The University of Canberra and Honorary Associate Professor, The Australian National University

Roundtable 8:

“Ignore, Rebut or Embrace: Political Elite Responses to Conspiracy Theories,” by Zim NwokoraAssociate Professor, Deakin University

“Disinformation in the City Response Playbook,” Jessica (Ika) TrijsburgResearch Fellow in City Diplomacy at the Melbourne University

Contact Information

For inquiries and submissions, please contact Hasnan Bachtiar at hasnan.bachtiar@deakin.edu.au

We look forward to your contributions and the vibrant discussions ahead.

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