2nd Exploring Media Ecosystems Conference

March 2nd & 3rd, 2020

Samberg Conference Center at MIT
Cambridge, Massachusetts

About

There is a growing body of work that study digitally mediated communication, but we need to acknowledge that no single point of view, no single platform, tool or method, can account for the complexity of communication in the 21st century. Our approach is to consider the networked public sphere in terms of ecosystems, with different elements dynamically affecting others.

For the second time, this convening will bring together academics, researchers, practitioners, journalists, and funders interested in understanding the current media landscape. While the scope of the conference is necessarily broad, this second edition will pay special attention to media ecosystems surrounding global health issues and the origin and spread of mis/disinformation. Attendees will collaborate on identifying new directions for research in this area and applications of innovative methodology to cross-platform research.

To learn more about this conference series, you can explore the first edition of this conference and watch videos of the presentations.

Location

The conference will take place at the Samberg Conference Center at MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The Samberg Conference Center is located on the sixth and seventh floors of the Chang Building (E52). Street address is 50 Memorial Drive, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142. Please note the conference center does not have parking.

Agenda

Please download the detailed agenda here for more information on the conference offerings.

Monday, March 2nd

Registration opens at 8:30 am.

• 9:00 . Exploring Media Ecosystems – Ethan Zuckerman (MIT)

• 9:30 . Media Ecosystems Explorations
  The structure of the French media ecosystem and the Yellow vest movement – Jean-Philippe Cointet (Sciences Po)
  Exploring Media Ecosystems Through Partisan Media Attention: Lessons Learned from Two Elections in the European Laboratory of Social Media Populisms – Fabio Giglietto (Universita di Urbino Carlo Bo)
  Computational Methods to Measure and Mitigate Weaponized Online Information –  Jeremy Blackburn, Gianluca Stringhini (iDrama Lab)

Coffee Break (11 – 11:30 am)

• 11:30 . Disinformation Around the World
  Social Media Manipulation: Algorithms, Bots, and Computational Propaganda – Samantha Bradshaw (Oxford Internet Institute)
  How to design policies to address disinformation – a European perspective – Lutz Guellner (European External Action Service )

Lunch Break (12:30 – 1:30 pm)

• 1:30 . Disinformation Across Platforms
  Misinformation on WhatsApp – Kiran Garimella (MIT)
  Twitter and MENA Region – Abraham Alexei (Citizen Lab, University of Toronto)
  KauwaKaate Fact Checking Platform – Kameswari Chebrolu (ITT Mumbai)
  Disinformation on Greta Thunberg – Emily Ndulue (MIT Media Lab), Aashka Dave (MIT Media Lab)
  The securitization of “fake news” in Malaysia and beyond – Gabrielle Lim (Shorenstein Center, Harvard University)

Coffee Break (3:30 – 4 pm)

• 4:00 . Reducing the Spread of Disinformation on Social Media Using an Accuracy Nudge – David Rand (MIT)

• 4:30 . Cautionary Notes on Disinformation – Yochai Benkler (Harvard University)

Reception begins at 5:30.

Tuesday, March 3rd

• 9:00 . Keynote – Lisa Nakamura (University of Michigan)

• 9:45 . Approaches to Critical Internet Studies – Joan Donovan (Shorenstein Center, Harvard University), Lisa Nakamura (University of Michigan), Leslie K Jones (Rutgers University) , T.L. Taylor (MIT)

Coffee Break (10:45 – 11:15 am)

• 11:15 . Health-Related Mis/Disinformation
  The Polarization of Disinformation Interventions: How Racist Speech and Coronavirus Conspiracy Theory Evade Fact-Checkers and Platforms in the Philippines – Jonathan Corpus Ong (University of Massachusetts Amherst)
  Fentanyl Panic Goes Viral: The Spread of Misinformation about Overdose Risk from Casual Contact with Fentanyl in Mainstream and Social Media – Sunyou Kang (University of Southern California)
  Forward this to 10 People: The Epidemic of Health Misinformation in Nigeria – Ifeanyi M. Nsofor (Nigeria Health Watch)

Lunch Break (12:30 – 1:30 pm)

• 1:30 . Exploring the Dynamics of Health Disinformation
  Disinformation & Public Health: The Influential Role of Anti-Vaccine Narratives in the Digital Public Sphere  – Jose Miguel Cansado (Alto Data Analytics)
  The social diffusion of risk information: A psychological perspective – Helge Giese (Konstanz University)
  Correcting Health Misinformation on Social Media – Emily Vraga (University of Minnesota)
  Title forthcoming – Rosa Sicilia (Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma)

Coffee Break (3 – 3:30 pm)

Conference ends at 4:30.

Registration

You may register online using this form. There is no fee to attend this conference. This event is supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Contact

You may email the organizers with questions at this time.