University Seminar on Theory and History of Media
Viral rumors mix facts with fabrication, and they emerge from a self-amplifying feedback loop across different media that range from speech to writing, to print, to social media. The talk juxtaposes our present moment to previous periods of media change to theorize the production of credence by new modes of circulation. In addition, it suggests that it is the circulation of counter-narratives rather than fact checks that can curb the spread of rumor and disinformation.
Stefan Andriopoulos is professor in the Department of Germanic Languages and (with Brian Larkin) co-founder of the Center for Comparative Media at Columbia University. His books include Ghostly Apparitions (Zone Books, 2013) and Possessed: Hypnotic Crimes, Corporate Fiction, and the Invention of Cinema (University of Chicago Press, 2008).
Respondent: Rosalind Morris, Columbia University
This event is part of the University Seminar on Theory and History of Media.