Vanderbilt Libraries Buchanan Fellows Media & Society Podcast Projects: Home

New online research environments have made the discovery and consumption of information easier than ever. However, these environments often threaten privacy and intellectual freedom by relying on surveillance economies and architectures. In this seminar, fellows will explore the intersection of privacy and intellectual freedom, and the surveillance logics that influence online research and communication practices. Using a variety of formats (such as a podcast, presentation, or video Public Service Announcement), Fellows will create final projects that analyze issues related to technology and privacy. Fellowship mentors: Andrew Wesolek and Melissa Mallon

Flush with the spirit of techno-optimism (information wants to be free!), the internet promised liberation by eliminating barriers to information, and enabling its spread instantaneously and globally. However, in recent years we have seen that misinformation spreads equally rapidly, generating profound social repercussions. From filter bubbles and echo chambers, to the cascading effects of conspiracy theories, we will explore the spread of misinformation on a variety of social media platforms, interrogate its meaning and its strategies, and question the efficacy of unregulated free speech or simple hierarchies of credibility as antidotes to misinformation. To engage further with the topics covered in the fellowship, students will record and produce podcasts as part of a developing series on media and society. Fellowship mentors: Andrew Wesolek, Bobby Smiley, and Melissa Mallon

From the 2016 presidential election to contemporary conspiracy theories related to the pandemic and politics, much attention has been paid to the role of social media in the rapid spread of disinformation. What exactly is disinformation, though? Is this a new phenomenon, or is it deeply embedded in power structures predating social media? Join this fellowship to explore the role of disinformation in both legacy media and social media, and its effects on society. Through a seminar-style approach, students will follow this open access curriculum, connect theory to contemporary news, and create a podcast as their final project. These podcasts will become part of an ongoing project exploring the intersection of media and society. Fellowship mentors: Andrew Wesolek, Bobby Smiley, and Melissa Mallon