Section Four: Weeks 12-16
Section Four: Digital Literacy in a Simulated World
In our final section, we will tease out one of the dominant threads from prior sessions and address it directly: what does it mean to live in an increasingly post-truth and post-human world? We will then explore how the developments we’ve covered so far necessitate new strategies for digital and information literacy as well as new ways to approach social interactions online.April 17
Living in a Post-Truth World. We will explore the complexities of living in a world where AI-generated media and simulated people and places challenge our ability to seek information.
Readings:
Gabriel, Saadia, et al. "Generative AI in the Era of' Alternative Facts'." (2024). Hou, Betty Li, et al. "Large Language Models as Misleading Assistants in Conversation." arXiv preprint arXiv:2407.11789 (2024).
Stanciu, Alexandru, and Ella-Magdalena Ciupercă. "Can Deepfakes Benefit the Metaverse in an Era of Disinformation? Insights from a Systematic Review." IFAC-PapersOnLine 58.3 (2024): 61-65.
Interactive Session:
Students will create deepfakes and/or AI-generated political memes as well as complete a deepfake detection exercise.
April 24
Living in a Post-Human World. We will continue our exploration of living in a world where AI-generated media and simulated people and places challenge our ability to engage in authentic experiences.
Readings:
Freund, Lucas. "Beyond the physical self: understanding the perversion of reality and the desire for digital transcendence via digital avatars in the context of Baudrillard’s theory." AI & SOCIETY (2024): 1-17.
Website:
Dedicated in-class time for design and development of class website.
May 1
Strategies for Navigating Information. We will explore the evolving nature of information literacy, emphasizing the importance of developing skills to navigate an increasingly automated digital landscape. We’ll also discuss how the design and development of students’ group projects have helped them to understand the production side of simulation and how that may play a role in helping them to discern what is real online.
Readings:
McGowan-Kirsch, Angela M., and Grace V. Quinlivan. "Educating emerging citizens: Media literacy as a tool for combating the spread of image-based misinformation." Communication Teacher 38.1 (2024): 41-52.
Chu-Ke, C., & Dong, Y. (2024). Misinformation and Literacies in the Era of Generative Artificial Intelligence: A Brief Overview and a Call for Future Research. Emerging Media, 2(1), 70-85
May 14
Final essay or project due, 5PM.