Social Media and Misinformation

Paul Gallagher will discuss Social Media and Misinformation.

For those of us interested in positive outcomes related to critical thinking or engaging in skeptical activism, today we recognise social media as a source of misinformation and a tool for organising misleading events IRL.

Since its advent, anti-science groups have exploited social media and found that during the COVID-19 pandemic, like-minded individuals gathered to share their frustrations and spread nonsense from conspiracy theories to harmful so-called alternatives to medicine. Today there are hundreds of groups that tend to share a desire to reject reality and fill the resultant vacuum, not only with their own opinion, but their own facts.

Come along to The Mahogany Room at The Stolberg Hotel on the corner of Bell St and plenty Road Preston, from 6 PM for a meal and a chat with a reasonable bunch.

The talk begins at 7.30 and runs for up to an hour. We aim to finish up by 9.15 PM. Public transport includes train at Bell station, buses via Bell St Bus Company and the route 86 Yarra Trams line.