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Misinformation

Original
Raiyan Bin Reza

Information Warfare Bangladesh

One aspect of the storm that swept through Bangladesh’s political landscape in July and August 2024 has not yet received adequate attention. Behind the sound of gunfire, another war was being waged which was a war of words, images, videos, and algorithms. According to Rumor Scanner, incidents of misinformation increased by 52 percent throughout 2024 compared to the previous year, reaching nearly three thousand. An old video from Pakistan was circulated as an incident in Bangladesh; an AI-generated letter fanned the flames of emotion; and communal tensions were stoked using year-old photos. This is not an isolated incident — it is a well-coordinated information war.

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Original
Joseph Ryann Jalagat

AI as Co-Author of Error? Disinformation, Verification, and the Fragility of Knowledge Work

Despite AI’s leverage on knowledge production, management, and storage, this informational revolution introduces a paradox. The expansion of information availability also presents risks of destabilizing knowledge trust. The root of this all leads us to AI hallucination, which produces believable and sophisticated results but is actually contrived and fictitious. It is in this sense that AI not only serves as an aid, but as a co-author of error. 

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Translation
Oluyemi Ayanbode

The Negative Impacts of Misinformation on Knowledge Economy: Implications for Academic Libraries and Knowledge Infrastructures

Misinformation poses a significant threat to the knowledge economy, undermining trust, distorting markets, hindering innovation and eroding the credibility of scientific research. The knowledge economy relies on the free flow of credible information, but misinformation and disinformation can disrupt this process, leading to measurable welfare losses. We conducted a semi-systematic literature review of 11 scientific articles on misinformation and knowledge economy. Findings reveal that misinformation has negative impacts on: epistemic trust, markets and productivity, innovation systems, human capital formation, and higher education. Furthermore, academic libraries play a crucial role in mitigating these effects by promoting information literacy, defending their role as trustworthy intermediaries, and collaborating with other knowledge-producing institutions. By recognizing libraries as core infrastructures of the knowledge economy, we can work towards sustaining the integrity and productivity of the global knowledge economy. This study concludes by highlighting the role of academic libraries in promoting information literacy and combating misinformation, particularly in emerging knowledge economies.

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EducationOpinion
Elisa Tattersall Wallin

How Will You Respond to the Unacceptable Costs of GenAI?

We must remember that those who profit the most from our growing reliance of GenAI are the tech companies themselves. Meanwhile, the people who are the most excited about AI are the ones who understand it the least. While machine learning can be useful, I argue that GenAI comes at an unacceptable cost. Taking in to consideration GenAI’s role in the spread of disinformation, the complex damages caused to people and the planet along with the proven negative effect to cognitive skills among users, this text advocates for critical perspectives, and ideally, critical refusal of GenAI.

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Translation
Chelsea Peterson-Salahuddin

How Information Objects Can Create Information Inequity

Information plays an important role in helping people make informed decisions and advocate for themselves socially, economically, and politically. However, not everyone has fair or equitable access to information. Information science scholars term this information inequity—the individual and societal factors that limit an individual, group, or nation’s access to information. Addressing information inequities by identifying and rectifying their causes is essential to helping all people fully participate in our society and democratic system.

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Translation
Prof. Xiao-Liang Shen

Can Anti-Rumor Campaigns Foster Positive Behavioral Change?

In an age where social media is pervasive and misinformation is rampant, maintaining a healthy online environment is crucial for curbing the spread of unverified rumors. Social media platforms often employ anti-rumor campaigns to foster a positive public atmosphere. However, a fundamental question remains: can these initiatives truly resonate with the public and prompt positive behavioral change? Do such campaigns have the power to influence people’s thoughts and actions in their daily lives?

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