A Perfect Storm: Social Media News, Psychological Biases, and AI
In an age where news information is created by millions and consumed by billions over social media (SM) every day, issues of information biases, fake news, and echo-chambers have dominated the corridors of technology firms, news corporations, policy makers, and society.
In this context, the speakers will:
The session will conclude with a discussion of how to reduce information bias anchoring, keeping in mind the role of librarians and information professionals in teaching users.
*Technological rationality is a philosophical idea by Herbert Marcuse. It describes how the logic of technology design and use feels inevitable and unavoidable to users and affects our choices. Once the technology in question is fully implemented into society, it ultimately changes the notion of what is considered rational within that society.
Discussion of:
Pratim Datta, Mark Whitmore and Joseph K Nwankpa, "A Perfect Storm: Social Media News, Psychological Biases, and AI" (April 2021) 2:2 Digital Threats: Research and Practice Art 15 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1145/3428157.
Speakers:
Mark Whitmore is an Associate Professor at Kent State University’s Department of Management and Information Systems, Ambassador Crawford College of Business and Entrepreneurship. Mark teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in human resources management and leadership. Prior to his move into academics, Mark spent 25 years in marketing and human resources in the financial services industry. During this period, he had the opportunity to lead every area of human resources although his special area of concentration and publications are in leadership and executive development. His current research interests are in the areas of susceptibility to “Fake News”, underrepresentation of women in high tech and pandemic denial. Mark is also the recipient of the Ann Howard and Douglas Brey Research Award and Grant from The Society of Industrial Organizational Psychologists, and the 2017 distinguished Teaching Award for KSU College of Business. Mark received his Ph.D. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from The Ohio State University.
Dr. Pratim "Pratt" Milton Datta is a Professor of Information Systems in the College of Business at Kent State University. He specializes in Cybersecurity, AI-based Decision-Making, Digital Transformation, Corporate Analytics, and 4IR global ICT strategy. Pratim also serves as a visiting research scientist with the University of Galway, Ireland, University of Johannesburg, South Africa and ITU Copenhagen, Denmark. Pratim is a multiple award recipient. For his research, he received the Farris Family Research Innovation Award twice (2009, 2010). He was the 2014 University Scholar of the Month and received the University President's Faculty Excellence Award in 2017. For teaching, Pratim has received the Platinum Teaching Award in 2024, the Paul Pfeiffer Teaching Award in 2014, and the Outstanding MBA professor award. Pratim has more than 55 journal articles and over 30 conference proceedings with multiple best paper nominations and awards.
Prior to academia, Pratim worked for global technology consulting firms. He actively consults, teaches, and presents his research internationally. With multiple sole-inventions and patent applications, Pratim enjoys designing engineering and technological solutions. His E-Voting process invention was featured on FOX8 news in April-May 2013. He has been cited in various business media. He is an avid traveler and photographer.”
Dr. Joseph K. Nwankpa is an Associate Professor in the Department of Information Systems & Analytics and the Director of Cybersecurity Initiatives at the Farmer School of Business at Miami University, Oxford, Ohio. He holds a Ph.D. in Information Systems from Kent State University, Ohio, and an MBA from the University of Windsor, Ontario, Canada. His recent research focuses on digital business strategy, cybersecurity, remote work strategy, and social media engagement. Dr. Nwankpa has published over 40 peer-reviewed articles and conference papers and has been a guest speaker at numerous international conferences.
He is the recipient of several prestigious research awards, including the Best Paper Award for Track at the International Conference on Information Systems. In addition, Dr. Nwankpa serves on the editorial board of leading Information Systems journals such as the European Journal of Information Systems. His papers have been featured in leading business magazines and media outlets worldwide, including Entrepreneur, Fast Company, Accounting Today, Toronto Star, Mexico Business News, Yahoo News, and The Conversation. Dr. Nwankpa has been invited to give expert commentaries for media outlets such as Forbes, CSO magazine, Marketplace, and Lifeware magazines on emerging digital technologies and cyber threats.
