While mis- and dis-information is primarily understood in terms of its facticity, or lack thereof, the very circulation of information such as news stories is tied to the cultural contexts in which people come to trust and rely on certain channels of information. Tackling misinformation, then, requires not just repudiation of its claims but an understanding of how and why its claims become significant — through what cultural channels — for certain groups of people. How do these channels influence what people will believe in their news and information consumption habits? How do recommender algorithms shape cultural channels that mark certain information as compelling? How does understanding the cultural sites of meaning-making help us address mis- and dis-information?
This panel seeks to surface the cultural dimensions of mis- and dis-information through the lens of authenticity: how claims to truthfulness and facticity are recognized as believable by communities, and so how those claims are authenticated as truth or facts. Our panelists will discuss the historical, technological, and political aspects of claiming access to an authentic reality, and how addressing mis- and dis-information through policy requires engaging culturally with those claims.
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