Join leading researchers from the Cathie Marsh Institute for Social Research to discuss the newest threats and possibilities facing society in the age of big data, from disinformation on social media to survival in space.
Our use of the internet and the world wide web has created an unprecedented amount of data and presents new challenges and opportunities. Issues such as reliability, security and inequality need to be examined in the context of this new environment. In a series of accessible short talks we explore issues around big data and its implications for the general public.
An interactive discussion board and access to the talks will be available from October, culminating in a live online discussion on 9th November.
Topics include:
Democracy@Risk
Dr Ariadna Tsenina is a Research Associate on Democracy@Risk, a project examining the threats that digital technologies pose to democracy, and particularly free and fair elections. Dr Tsenina’s talk explores some of the most pressing challenges facing modern elections, such as digital political micro-targeting on social media. Professor Rachel Gibson, PI for Democracy@Risk, will also join the live Q&A.
Political Astroturfing on Social Media
Dr David Schoch looks at the targeted distribution of disinformation, or ‘fake news’, on social media, and its dramatically rising influence on democratic elections. Using sophisticated machine learning techniques, Dr Schoch investigates the human networks behind the bots.
Data Inequalities in the Era of Big Data
In this talk, Professor Maria Sobolewska discusses the big data conundrum: in our era of big data, how can scientists reconcile the abundance of data with the persistence of data gaps, and their unequal consequences for all of us? How does the use of big data perpetuate inequalities and prevent us from finding solutions for these issues, particularly in terms of race and ethnicity?
Keynote: Supporting Humans to Survive and Thrive in Extremes
Dr Nathan Smith, a Research Fellow at the Cathie Marsh Institute, talks us through his research with communities living and working in extreme environments, and the digital tools he is developing for the space missions of the future.
Plus more speakers to be announced!
The Cathie Marsh Institute for Social Research (CMI) is a centre for excellence in quantitative social science. Our core mission is to provide rigorous empirical answers to contemporary social and political questions, and to empower others to do the same.
