Risk Zone 1 | Truth, Disinformation & Propaganda

Collection
Design Strategy (MBA) | Design Division

Course
Fall 2019Strategic Foresight StudioAndy Dong, Jake DunaganDSMBA-6400-2
Final project
Student(s)
Virgilio Leynes, Mickie Lau, Saedene Ota, Priya Rajaraman
Description
2036 Presidential Elections

The 2020 Election is in the near future, but as we learned in the 2016 election, anything can happen within a short time. Reporting, social media, political pundits, conspiracy theories, polling, accusations, and investigations — how we get information and the validity of truth will sway views and ultimately, votes. The best political minds did not see the massive shift in support until it was too late. This epic upset was an eye-opener for the entire country.

Disinformation is disseminated at a mind-blowing pace, and the strategy of politics has changed drastically. In less than a year, presidential candidates face-off with its most significant challenge, technology. Every candidate’s reputation is vulnerable to a world of half-truths and lies. In a world where many people regularly fall prey to online conspiracy theories and fake news posts, heighten misinformation in the digital media is undermining the public’s trust in the government and the media.

Through social media, foreign interference, and distortion in traditional news media, fiction is often misconstrued as facts. What makes the dynamic of technology so powerful is the psychological impact behind social media platforms. Our interactions and commitment to technology has made us more vulnerable to the spread of misinformation. Subconsciously, we are biased to believe the things we see online and without any proper filtering of fake news, what is real and fake is becoming less obvious. 

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