Rogers Chair

Rogers Chair holder: Associate Professor James Compton

Three Faces of Labor: Uncovering the Hidden Ties Between Gender, Race, and Class
February 12, 2025
Presented by Nancy Fraser, Henry and Louise A. Loeb Professor of Philosophy and Politics at the New School for Social Research.

Communicating Solidarity in the Neoliberal University: Challenges and Solutions
October 30, 2024
A panel featuring Peter McInnis, Evan Fox-Decent and Karuna Dsouza. 

Reporting in a House of Mirrors
March 13, 2024
Presented by Justin Ling, investigative journalist and author.

Abstract: These days, it feels like we don't even know what we're arguing about anymore. Our society has been riven by political polarization, paranoid populism, even extremism, brought on by a deluge of misinformation, disinformation, and conspiracy theories. Our collective conversation has been warped, skewed, stretched, and shrunk beyond recognition, making it harder and harder to see what's right in front of our faces. Journalists have rushed around, trying to correct all the distortion — often to little avail. Our body politic has suffered as a result, with crises and critical policy questions being ignored in favour of ideological crusades and small grievances made to look massive. If we are ever to face the myriad of problems facing us, we will need to return to some kind of collective reality. To get there, journalists will need to take the lead.

Lies, damned lies and democracy!
October 18, 2023
Presented by Professor Emeritus Anton Allahar.

Abstract: My title borrows from a famous quote that is attributed to Mark Twain who in turn attributed it to Benjamin Disraeli, a former British PM. Apparently when Disraeli was shown to be low in the poll numbers, he asserted: “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics!” I modify this quote to read: “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and democracy!” For my contention is that much of what passes for democracy today is based on transparent lies that are sold to an unsuspecting public by politicians, multiple civic leaders, media enterprises, teachers and even professors. It speaks to the processes by which a largely credulous populace exhibits a cultural willingness to accept myth and make-believe as ‘truth.’ In other words, the populace is so steeped in ideological distraction, so deceived that they are unable and even unwilling to see the ‘truth.’ I mean no disrespect to anyone, but that make-believe is rooted in the public’s widespread embrace of religion and the simultaneous rejection of scientific knowledge and fact. In the process ideologies of God, ‘race,’ gender, ‘tribe’ and nation are elevated and overall social solidarity is actively undermined. Finally, my argument directs attention to the phenomenon of Trumpism as a point of empirical reference.

Rogers Chair holder: Professor Anabel Quan-Haase

Hacking Online Virality
March 1, 2023
Presented by Professor Filippo Menczer

Abstract: As social media become major channels for the diffusion of news and information, it becomes critical to understand how the complex interplay between cognitive, social, and algorithmic biases triggered by our reliance on online social networks makes us vulnerable to manipulation and disinformation. This talk overviews ongoing network analytics, modeling, and machine learning efforts to study the viral spread of misinformation and to develop tools for countering the online manipulation of opinions.

Disinformation Disorder and Potential Solutions for Canada
October 26, 2022
Presented by Heidi Tworek, Canada Research Chair of History and Policy of Health Communications, UBC

Abstract: Poor-quality information and conspiracy theories seem to be floating around everywhere. But how can we understand the effects of these issues and are there any ways to address them? This talk will explore the history of disinformation to examine what is new about our present problems. It will then examine how poor-quality information and online abuse are affecting health and politics in Canada before finally suggesting some solutions to these complex questions.

Disinformation on social media during the COVID-19 pandemic: Prevalence and journalistic challenges
April 28, 2022
Panel discussion featuring Ahmed Al-Rawi, Lauren Pelley, Alfred Hermida and Craig Silverman

Abstract: Social media has been a strategic tool used by governments, health agencies, and experts during the COVID-19 pandemic, providing rapid updates on topics such as health regulations, safety recommendations, and disease risk. Yet, with its unmoderated and fast-paced nature, social media has contributed to the spread of disinformation, fears, and distrust of experts and the mainstream media. A 2021 CBC Marketplace investigation identified hundreds of social media posts spreading disinformation and no initiatives on part of tech giants to deal with the problem. The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned of an ‘infodemic’ that impairs effective health policy and requires immediate intervention. This panel will discuss many of the challenges confronted by journalists today with identifying and combatting disinformation. The panel brings together academic experts in the field of journalism and communication with professional journalists working on the ground. The panel also highlights how innovative forms of journalism like The Conversation contribute to sharing important information at an accelerated pace. The panel further addresses issues associated with journalism that have worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic such as online harassment of journalists and experts, the subsequent burnout experienced by some media members, and challenges communicating complex information to a wide audience in an inflexible environment. 

Studying the COVID-19 Infodemic at Scale
October 7, 2021
Presented by Anatoliy Gruzd, CRC in Privacy-Preserving Digital Technologies and Director of Research at the Social Media Lab, Toronto.

Abstract: False narratives about COVID-19 have gone global and are spreading almost as fast as the virus itself. Since January 2020, there have been over 10,000 false and unproven COVID-19 related claims shared via social media and other channels. This presentation will discuss how researchers at Ryerson University's Social Media Lab, in partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO), are spearheading an international effort to help stem the rise and counter COVID-19 misinformation via the COVID-19 Misinformation Portal.

Rogers Chair holder: Professor Nick Dyer-Witheford

The State of Anonymous - Seminar
March 18, 2016
Presented by Professor Gabriella Coleman

How Anonymous (narrowly) evaded the cyberterrorism rhetorical machine
March 17, 2016
Presented by Professor Gabriella Coleman

Proxy Politics and Proxy Wars
March 4, 2016
Presented by Oleksiy Radynski.

The Kremlin and the Internet - Seminar
March 4, 2016
Presented by Andrei Soldatov and Irina Borogan.

The Red Web: Internet Censorship in Russia
March 2, 2016
Presented by Andrei Soldatov, investigative journalist.

The Citizen Lab's Mixed Methods Approach to Research on Information Controls - Seminar
February 4, 2016
Presented by Professor Ron Diebert.

The Needle in the Haystack: Citizenship and War in the Age of Big Data
February 3, 2016
Presented by Professor Ron Diebert.

Inside the Martial Gaze: Sensing, Imaging, Mapping - Seminar
January 14, 2016
Presented by Professor Antoine Bousquet.

Under a Martial Gaze: The Logistics of Military Perception
January 13, 2016
Presented by Professor Antoine Bousquet.