Although misinformation has been used as a tool for propaganda throughout history, it has recently garnered immense public attention following the Brexit referendum and the US elections in 2016. Online social media outlets lack regular news media’s editorial standards and procedures for ensuring the veracity of information, and as a result, social media platforms have become arteries for the dissemination of misinformation. We define misinformation as false or misleading information presented as fact regardless of intent. While only a tiny percentage of people share false or misleading information, the proliferation of false and misleading information on social media has eroded trust in our democracies and given rise to more advanced forms of social deception.
In recent years, information systems (IS) researchers have investigated this phenomenon and suggested ways of mitigating its spread. Some proposed solutions by scholars and industry professionals include, news presentation and their formats, source ratings and credibility, and correcting and debunking the misinformation.
This inaugural two-day online workshop hosted by the Center for Computational and Data Sciences (CCDS), seeks to bring together scholars to rethink contemporary paradigms and mobilize discussion on pioneering technological solutions to combat misinformation. We hope that this discussion will provide opportunities for collaboration, help develop a research agenda that illuminates areas for future research that eventually leads to solutions.
At the end of this workshop, we will synthesize and present the ideas in a white paper which would be available on the CCDS website.
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