Disassembling Mis/Disinformation, Reassembling Democracy: Theory, Practice, and Possibilities

Session Type: Symposium

Abstract

Since 2016, “mis/disinformation” has been credited with a central role in diverse democratic crises—far-right political mobilization, the undermining of scientific consensus, the spread of conspiracy theories—prompting education research to develop curricular responses to mitigate its harms. Yet a decade later, our democratic challenges persist, leading some scholars to consider new theorizations and methods that might better attend to the diverse factors—cognitive, affective, social, technological—that shape the structure and circulation of (mis/dis-)information in society. This symposium synthesizes and extends this growing body of research, bringing together four papers that explore, from different disciplinary perspectives, the convergence of media, politics, and education and its implications for teaching and learning.

Sub Unit

• SIG-Media, Culture, and Learning

Chair

• Alexandra Thrall, Baylor University

Papers

• The Politics of Mis/Disinformation: Ideological Asymmetries in Media Practice and Process - Alexandra Thrall, Baylor University; T. Philip Nichols, Baylor University

• Towards a Counter-Propaganda Approach to Democratic Education - Christopher H. Clark, University of North Dakota; Mardi Schmeichel, University of Nebraska - Lincoln

• Birds Aren’t Real: Vigilante Civic Literacies for Classroom Counterpublics - William J. Fassbender, Montana State University; Bradley Robinson, Texas State University

• The Messy Problematic of Worldview-Affirming Misinformation When Trying to Reassemble Democracy - Cathryn van Kessel, Texas Christian University; Lex Nikola Salazar, Texas Christian University

Session Organizer

• Alexandra Thrall, Baylor University

Discussant

• Renee Hobbs, University of Rhode Island