Researching Digital Misinformation: Integrating Interdisciplinary Perspectives
Interdisciplinary Workshop
27th – 28th February 2025
Swansea University, Wales, UK
About the Workshop
Misinformation and disinformation have long presented a threat to society, undermining public trust in institutions, threatening democratic processes, and hindering evidence processing and evaluation in legal contexts. While it is an age-old issue, the misinformation landscape is rapidly transforming with the increasing sophistication and prevalence of digital tools, including deepfakes and synthetic media. This era of "digital misinformation" is likely to pose new challenges for policymakers and legal professionals.
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This two-day workshop, hosted by the TRUE Project team at Swansea University, aims to bring together both established and early-career researchers who are at the forefront of investigating these emergent forms of misinformation and disinformation. The workshop will comprise scholars from various disciplines, including psychology, law, political science, cybersecurity, and journalism. Researchers are invited to present papers or works-in-progress relevant to the workshop theme. They may also act as respondents, providing feedback on papers presented.
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This workshop will prompt in-depth discussions regarding the evolving landscape of digital misinformation and will provide opportunities for researchers to receive feedback on their work. This workshop will strengthen interdisciplinary collaborations to further research in this area. Indicative session topics include: Interventions for digital misinformation and disinformation; deepfakes and artificial intelligence; conspiracy theories; the roles of emotion and identity in trust in digital misinformation; consequences of misinformation for reasoning about evidence, including juror decision-making.
The workshop is an in-person event which will take place at Swansea University from 27th - 28th February 2025. For general queries, please contact the workshop hosts Maryanne Brassil (maryanne.brassil@swansea.ac.uk) and Professor Yvonne McDermott Rees (yvonne.mcdermottrees@swansea.ac.uk).
Applications
Application Deadline: Extended to 18th November 2024 at 17.00 GMT
If you are interested in attending and participating in this workshop, please submit your expression of interest using the workshop application form. You will be asked to indicate your preferred role(s) for the workshop (Presenter/Respondent). You are welcome to apply for both roles.
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If interested in presenting a paper or a work-in-progress, please provide the following: :
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The proposed title of your presentation
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A brief abstract (between 150 – 250 words)
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If interested in being a respondent for a paper/work-in-progress presented by another speaker, please provide a brief description (2-5 sentences) outlining your area of expertise/research interests. Respondents will be assigned to one or two presentations relevant to their area of expertise and will receive the presentation information two to three weeks before the workshop. They will lead and moderate the discussion around their assigned presentations.
Travel Bursaries
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In the workshop application form, you will be asked to indicate if you can cover your own travel/accommodation expenses or if you would need a travel bursary to attend. The TRUE project has a limited number of travel bursaries available to participants who do not have funds to cover travel and accommodation costs for this workshop. Please note that these travel bursaries can only be used to cover standard/economy class transport tickets.
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UK Applicants: For those attending the workshop from another UK institution, these travel bursaries will allow us to reimburse up to £150 for transportation and £75 for one night of accommodation in Swansea.
International Applicants: For those attending the workshop from abroad, these travel bursaries will allow us to reimburse up to £300 for transportation and £150 for two nights of accommodation in Swansea.
Key Dates
15 October 2024: Workshop application launched
18 November 2024: Deadline for submitting applications.
02 December 2024: Accepted participants notified, and provisional schedule published
07 February 2025: Deadline for submitting paper/work-in-progress for discussion
27 – 28 February 2025: Workshop held at Swansea University