(ITD1a) Technology and Society I: Truth, Misinformation, and Narratives in the Digital Age

Concerns have emerged over the veracity and validity of information found on the Internet, necessitating critical examination of the impacts of “fake news”, misinformation, disinformation, and media narratives in both online and offline spaces. Indeed, how digital media serve to fundamentally manipulate users based on the interpretation of what one consumes is still a nascent area in sociological research. Therefore, this session highlights theoretical and empirical research that explores the challenges associated with our understanding and interpretation of truth, misinformation, and media narratives in the digital age. Tags: Canadian Sociology, Digital Studies, Technology

Organizers: Andrew Nevin, University of Massachusetts Boston, Anabel Quan-Haase, University of Western Ontario, Michael Adorjan, University of Calgary; Chair: Anabel Quan-Haase, University of Western Ontario

Presentations

Neil Wegenschimmel, University of Waterloo

Disrupted realities: Truth and meaning in the digital age and its psycho-social implications

Revolutions in digital technology have eroded the ability of people to live in a mutually-established shared reality, see life as meaningful, and know what is true. Shared reality is important for the maintenance and generation of happiness and well-being, and provides a basis for community formation and social-civil solidarity. Monopolistic technology companies have erected a digital cage around individual psychological states, prodding and manipulating interactions to profit from the enframing of digital behaviour. In this context, the role of social media platforms and their algorithms in shaping our perceptions and beliefs cannot be overstated. They have become the gatekeepers of information, deciding what we see, when we see it, and how it is presented to us. This has profound implications for our understanding of truth and reality. Bringing together research and literature on communication, social psychology, cognition, political science and social character, I provide an extension of the concept of epistemosis: a psychosocial state that leaves people unable or unwilling to discern what is true or real. In doing so, I incorporate elements of uncertainty, threat, as well as existential and political psychology into a theoretical model that endeavours to map the relationship between novel digital technology, human meaning-making and deliberation, and growing polarization and extremism. I posit a situation whereby the mixture of information proliferation and overabundance, competing emotionally salient narratives, and the hyperreal environment of the internet as a mechanism for sharing information is filtered through algorithmic logics to undermine the interplay between group dynamics and cognitive processes of establishing truth and accuracy, producing a suspicion toward reality itself that becomes the dominant framework for understanding the world. In doing so I will present recent empirical research that probes the relationship between problems of information and authoritarian social characters, offering examples of how epistemotic informational environments may be not just affecting individuals negatively, but rather pushing them headlong into an openness to authoritarianism, and leading to polarization and the ominous possibility of “reality collapse.” I will present prominent case studies that demonstrate the results of this dynamic in action, and consider where these trends may go as technological acceleration increases, particularly with the wide use of artificial intelligence, uncanny deep fakes, and large language models — all while the world grows increasingly fragmented. This work lays at the intersection of psychology, sociology, philosophy, political science and studies of communication, theorizing from an interdisciplinary perspective that attempts to take up the task of tracing the strange world we have come to inhabit, one that moves so quickly that it has become difficult to both study and theorize. Some consideration will also be given to currents of 20th century social and cultural history, and how various threads may have come together in ways that are threatening both the individual’s sense of themselves in the world and democratic society itself. The rapid pace of technological change, coupled with the rise of global networks, has created a complex and ever-changing landscape that challenges our traditional ways of understanding and interacting with the world. This has led to a sense of disorientation and uncertainty, further exacerbating the issues outlined above.

Michael Adorjan, University of Calgary

What does "fake news" mean to you? An examination of teen understandings of misinformation and disinformation

Surveys held around the world indicate, overall, negative mental health affects for youth during the initial lockdown period of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as during the subsequent waves of lockdowns well into 2021. With increases in screen time especially during periods of lockdown, concerns were raised regarding the various ‘cyber-risks’ youth were exposed to, especially ‘fake news’ – a term initially coined by Donald Trump while President of the U.S., but which came to be increasingly examined as ‘misinformation’ and ‘disinformation’ online. This reseach examines teen experiences with parents, schools and ‘cyber-risk’ during the initial COVID-19 outbreak in early 2020, following their experiences to the present with a focus on their mental health and well being. Here, drawing from qualitative interviews with 20 teens in an urban Western region, we primarily focus on youth understandings of what ‘fake news’ means to them, their exposure to misinformation and disinformation online, the messages they’ve received from parents and educators, and their strategies in response. Findings point to general awareness of ‘fake news’ though also the role of wider parenting culture and school based responses for education and prevention.

---

Non-presenting author: Rosemary Ricciardelli, Memorial University

Suman Mondal, McMaster University

"Hot Off the Press!": The Construction of LGBTQIA+ Indians in India Using a Media Analysis

In India, the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) systematically marginalizes and punishes LGBTQIA+ Indians of different religions, directly and indirectly. This research examines how, and to what extent, the BJP’s claims about LGBTQIA+ individuals—that are informed through gender and sexuality-based laws—are represented in the Indian media. The main research question for this project is: how are social constructionist frameworks (diagnostic, motivational, and prognostic) constructed, concerning the social problem of Indian queerness and transness that is informed by various understandings of gender and sexuality-based legal frameworks?  Past research documents the prejudice and discrimination against Muslim and Dalit LGBTQIA+ people in India. However, an in-depth analysis of the construction and perpetuation of this discrimination is missing. As well, this research speaks on the effects of the Hindutva ideology that works to construct and protect a Hindu hegemony in India, which is used as a rationale to justify the (conservative) claims by many anti-LGBTQIA+ supporters. This research employs a qualitative media analysis to describe how news media frames the social, political, and legal experiences and interactions of LGBTQIA+ individuals in India. In the media analysis, 120 newspaper articles were collected and analyzed. A social constructionist perspective is employed to understand to what degree immorality, deviance, and criminality are constructed. The findings indicate the presence of two claimsmaking groups: the claimsmakers (anti-LGBTQIA+ supporters, including BJP officials and supporters) and the counter-claimsmakers (LGBTQIA+ Indians, supporters, and allies). In addition, the claims of these groups are supported using gender and sexuality-based legal frameworks such as: Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, the Special Marriage Act, and the Citizenship (Amendment) Act. In analyzing the claims, the following frameworks are identified: diagnostic (how the social problem can be explained), motivational (why one should care about the social problem), and prognostic (a solution that will help with the social problem). The claimsmakers’ diagnostic framework includes creating queerness and transness as medical, moral, and cultural issues. The motivational framework constructs LGBTQIA+ Indians as villains, and Indian children, women, and society are described as victims who are not properly represented by gender and sexuality-based laws. Lastly, the prognostic framework identifies quasi-medical solutions, as well as legal-based solutions such as the reenactment of Section 377 (IPC) that works to recriminalize homosexual intercourse. On the other hand, counter-claimsmakers construct diagnostic frameworks using the discrimination and prejudice that LGBTQIA+ Indians experience as an issue, which is further induced by the lack of proper construction and application of the laws. Next, the motivational framework that is produced is centered around LGBTQIA+ Indians being viewed as victims, which is further supported by inadequate legal protection. Finally, the prognostic framework presents solutions based on centering LGBTQIA+ Indians in legal-based discussions, and allowing them to be better represented in society, such as more hires in the service sector. Overall, this research provides a collaborative discussion on how gender and law work together, in an international-contemporary setting, and demonstrates the inequalities and shift in power (declined) faced by LGBTQIA+ Indians. Additionally, this research highlights the trajectories associated with the progression of gender and sexual-diversity and fluidity from a non-Western perspective, and counters the current research that discusses the sociology of gender, sexuality, and law from the Western perspective. This Eastern perspective is critical, especially in the context of India, because the nation has a history and culture that is associated with gender and sexual-diversity and fluidity, which has been restricted due to certain legal frameworks. Additionally, this research aims to provide an analysis of how the media represents the Indian governments statements and policies regarding LGBTQIA+ people. This is critical largely because of the presence and importance of news media in India. Lastly, by understanding these constructions and revealing how they work, this research will further the goals of challenging and disrupting these discourses and enacting social, legal, and political interventions to improve rights for LGBTQIA+ individuals residing in India. As this research works to explore social movements related to LGBTQIA+ trajectories, it fits into the envelope that discusses how hate affects marginalized people, and potential solutions that work to offer some.

Yvonne Daoleuxay, University of Toronto

What Drives Interest in a Driverless Toronto? Survey Results on Scarborough Residents' Interest in Autonomous Vehicles

Toronto’s Automated Vehicles (AV) Tactical Plan, adopted in 2020, lays out its vision for a more equitable, environmentally sustainable city by 2050. Barriers to transportation, road safety, and environmental sustainability are some of the goals the city expects to achieve through widespread adoption of AV (including first- and last-mile trips which connect residents to public transit systems). Indeed, there are high hopes that AV will mitigate many problems associated with automobility by democratizing movement for those who are otherwise unable to travel by passenger or transit vehicles. AV is expected to impact infrastructure and the built environment, urban sprawl, and the way we experience movement, yet the public’s interest in AV is low or even declining. Fear of giving up control, especially amongst those who enjoy driving, is one reason why people may resist adopting AV (Howard and Dai 2013); however, a perceived loss of the ability to express one’s individuality through one’s driving style (e.g., being more aggressive) also impacts individuals’ orientation towards AV (Birnbaum et al. 2018). If would-be users are likely to only adopt AV as replacements for private cars with no uptake in public, shared, or active transport, how different will future transportation really systems look? To what extent would automation perpetuate automobility by continuing to relegate other forms of mobility to accommodate private vehicles (Urry 2004)? To get at these questions, a deeper understanding of the public’s perceptions of AV and their daily driving experiences may provide insight into the factors behind late technology adoption. Using descriptive statistics and ordinal logistic regression, I interpret data collected through the UTSC Suburban Mobilities Scarborough Survey (n=688). The research question I pose is, “What factors are associated with interest in AV in Scarborough, Ontario?” This overarching question can be further broken down into two sub-questions: 1) What sort of daily driving experiences do Scarborough drivers have? 2) What factors can explain how Scarborough residents currently feel about self-driving cars? Understanding how people’s experiences with their travels and other road users may impact their perceptions of new mobility technologies, like autonomous/automated vehicles, brings to light the sociocultural dimensions of car dependence and attachment, making important contributions to research on automobility.

---

Non-presenting authors: Ignacio Tiznado-Aitken, University of Toronto Scarborough; Shaila Jamal, University of Toronto Scarborough; Steven Farber, University of Toronto Scarborough