Synthetic Media and the Construction of Reality

Catalog description

In the past 25 years, electronic media, mobile devices, and algorithmically optimized information networks have intensified how humans have engaged with mediated information. This course examines the collateral effects of this phenomenon on our habits, norms, beliefs, and cognitive processing. Students will study the historical, political, and theoretical narrative that has led to questions about the construction of social worlds, the construct of reality, and the legitimacy of information. A special focus will be made in studying the implications of synthetic deepfake and AI-driven text generating systems in accelerating these effects.