[Air-L] Talk 10/14: "Parler and the Road to the Capitol Attack: Investigating Alt-Tech Ties to January 6"

[Nicholas Proferes]

Hello all,

ASU's interdisciplinary data-science research group, B²C², will be hosting a Zoom talk --this Friday at 1pm MST-- from Dr. Michael Simeone and Dr. Shawn Walker on some of their recent work on Parler that may be of interest to the list. The event is free, though registration is required.

When: Friday, Oct 14th at 1PM MST (20:00 UTC)

Location: Zoom

Registration Link: https://asu.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwpd-yvrjkjEtLbI2H9DtiLKZ2aMVP0TKnA

Who: Dr. Michael Simeone (ASU, Complex and Adaptive Systems) and Dr. Shawn Walker (ASU, School of Social and Behavioral Sciences)

Talk Title: Parler and the Road to the Capitol Attack: Investigating Alt-Tech Ties to January 6

Abstract: The January 6, 2021 mob assault on the U.S. Capitol exposed deep fissures between Americans and shook the very foundations of the country. The violence that day and the tech industry’s response to the tsunami of polarizing content triggered a major public debate over how social media and tech companies manage their platforms and services and the impact of content moderation policies on polarization, extremism, and political violence in the United States. One big question is: How did niche social media sites geared toward far-right audiences, like Parler, contribute to polarization around the 2020 presidential election and to what extent did Parler and other platforms factor into the January 6 attack? Based, in part, on an early assessment of a cache of an estimated 183 million Parler posts publicly archived after Parler was temporarily deplatformed, we present an analysis that offers unique insights into online and offline early warning signs of the potential for election-related violence in the year-long run up to the Capitol attack. We also discuss the ethical and methodological challenges related to this work. Full report available: https://www.newamerica.org/future-frontlines/reports/parler-and-the-road-to-the-capitol-attack/

Bio: Dr. Michael Simeone is an Associate Research Professor in the School for Complex Adaptive Systems. He is also a Senior Research Fellow for the Future Frontlines program at the New America Foundation. His research uses tools like natural language processing and network modeling to understand organizations, communications, and cultural trends, especially disinformation and strategic influence. He also studies the specific contributions libraries can make to artificial intelligence models and intelligent systems. Simeone received his MS and PhD in English at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, and completed a postdoctoral fellowship with Illinois Informatics Institute at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications. Dr. Shawn Walker is an Assistant Professor in the School of Social and Behavioral Sciences at Arizona State University and a Senior Research Fellow for the Future Frontlines program at the New America Foundation. He received his PhD in Information Science from the University of Washington Information School. His research focuses on mis and disinformation and online resistance circulating in social media during social movements, protests, and elections as well as the related challenges of collecting, analyzing, and preserving data from social media platforms.

Looking forward to seeing you there,

Nicholas


Nicholas Proferes, PhD

Assistant Professor

School of Social and Behavioral Sciences

New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences

Arizona State University