Rowan College at Burlington County’s “Global Studies Lecture Series”, hosted by RCBC Instructor and Program Coordinator of Sociology and Anthropology, Brandon Chapman, aims to invite scholars and researchers to discuss and engage with students about various global issues. The premiere episode centered on U.S.-China relations, but what about the next episode?

This second installment, titled “Organizing Online Influence Efforts: Evidence from Chinese, Russian, and Venezuelan Troll Campaigns”, includes a guest appearance by Dr. Jacob Shapiro, Professor of Politics and International Affairs at Princeton University. On March 29, from 3:30 to 5 pm, Dr. Shapiro will further explain the study and how it makes a difference in preventing the spread of misinformation online. 

(Photo: Dr. Jacob Shapiro)

Troll campaigns and the spread of misinformation in general has become a large global issue when it comes to the delivery and validity of information. The masses get fed false information by propaganda or troll campaigns, which provokes violence and uproar in many countries around the world. Dr. Shapiro will be speaking on how different countries organize their misinformation campaigns targeting the U.S. and other democracies.

Troll accounts from countries like China, Russia and Venezuela have enacted a history of campaigns, so a method was developed to track these accounts using their history of malicious content. The study, which consists of researchers from Princeton University, New Jersey Institute of Technology and New York University, traced the patterns of misinformation in the accounts and after a series of tests, identified accounts that were part of a foreign influence campaign. However, the method used isn’t perfect. It has its flaws, but the study itself shows that it is possible to still discover these accounts accurately and put a stop to their activities.

For more information on how to access the event, click here.