Deadline: Monday 15 March 2021

Disinformation is the intentional spread of information known to be false. The use of social media as a disinformation dissemination tool has grown in recent years, leading to the identification of disinformation as one of the biggest threats to global democracy (World Economic Forum 2016). Increasingly, a different range of actors contribute to the construction and communication of disinformation, featuring in some key global challenges from COVID-19 to the US elections. As a result, a comprehensive understanding of disinformation requires contributions from numerous fields.

This online interdisciplinary workshop focuses on the interplay of language, identity and disinformation. We hope that exploring synergies between different approaches to disinformation research can help us to answer questions like: How are dominant narratives of disinformation constructed online? How do fake news circulate across different communities online? How can we use quantitative methods to understand the spread of disinformation? How can we use qualitative methods to understand the construction and spread of disinformation narratives across communities?

We welcome abstracts from a range of disciplines including applied linguistics, computer science, sociology, and psychology. We particularly invite PhD students and early career researchers to share ongoing research in the area.

Topics could include but are not limited to:

• Identity performance in contexts of disinformation
• Language and/or Community formation online
• Genres/narratives of disinformation
• Fake news and polarization
• The spread of disinformation across networks
• Behaviours of ‘bad actors’ online
• Methodological and ethical issues in disinformation research

If your research is not part of these themes but can contribute to discussions of the spread of disinformation online, please summarise the broader theme of your paper in your abstract.

Confirmed Speakers

Dr. Philip Seargeant (Open University): Complementary genres of disinformation: conspiracy theories and ‘fake news’ 

William Dance (Lancaster University): Paper title to be confirmed

Format

The event will be held on 30^th April 2021. The event is funded by the ESRC and participation is free. Registration to the event will open on 9^th April 2021.

Abstract Submission

Deadline: 15^th March 2021

Abstracts should be a maximum of 300 words (excluding references). We advise that you include the following information in your abstract submission:

• Title of paper
• Author name, affiliation, and contact information
• A short introductory statement which explains the background/significance of your research
• An explanation of methodologies/frameworks used
• A brief overview of the main findings of your research
• A short concluding statement

Please submit your abstract in Word format to Aurora Goodwin (School of English, communication and philosophy, Cardiff University) at GoodwinA3@cardiff.ac.uk  We will notify all authors of the outcome by 30^th March and advise next steps.

Organisers

For further information, please do not hesitate to contact Aurora Goodwin (GoodwinA3@cardiff.ac.uk). The event is organised by the Centre for Language and Communication Research, in collaboration with the Crime and Security Research Institute at Cardiff University.