What differentiates lying from other examples of communicative intent? We sit down with Akos Szegofi and talk about misinformation, institutional trust, and the cognitive mechanisms underlying information processing. We chat about skepticism, how the media has changed over time, and why the intent to deceive is as old as communication itself.

Show Notes:

1. Definition of Lying: Asserting something false with the intent to deceive, though linguists debate the nuances between lying, deception, and misleading.

2. Misinformation, Disinformation, Malinformation: Misinformation is bad quality info without clear intent to deceive. Disinformation is malevolent communication meant to deceive. Malinformation is true but harmful information, like doxing.

3. Historical Fake News: Examples include Ramesses II's battle misinformation and Amazonian cave paintings used to deter other tribes.

4. Cognitive Mechanisms and Epistemic Vigilance: Humans evolved to assess communication for truth, which institutions attempt to mimic and enforce through editorial guidelines.

5. Impact of Digital Journalism: The rise of mass media in the 19th century parallels the digital era's challenges, with unreliable early press and the evolution of more reliable sources.

6. The Flooding Strategy: Modern disinformation often aims to overwhelm with misinformation, increasing uncertainty and distrust in reliable sources.

7. Institutions and Trust: Strengthening institutions to uphold rigorous information curation can combat misinformation better than individual cognitive updates.

8. The Role of Algorithms: Algorithms could diversify media consumption and reduce biases by exposing people to varied information sources.

9. AI in Debunking Conspiracies: AI, when respectful and data-rich, can effectively reduce belief in conspiracy theories.

10. Death of Local Journalism: The decline of local news, replaced by large national outlets or manipulated by biased entities, harms community-specific information trust.

11. Satire and Misinformation: Satirical content can be misinterpreted as truth online, showing the importance of context in communication.

References

1. Claire Wardle (Journalist, Media Scholar)

2. Steve Bannon (Political Figure)

3. Paula Shoemaker (Media Scholar)

4. Walter Cronkite (Journalist)

5. George Carlin (Comedian)

6. The Onion (Satirical Newspaper)

7. Orson Welles' "War of the Worlds" (Radio Drama)

8. Ramesses II (Historical Figure, Egyptian Pharaoh)

9. Mark Antony (Historical Figure, Roman Politician)

10. Octavian (Historical Figure, Roman Politician)

11. Cleopatra (Historical Figure, Egyptian Queen)

12. Hurst's and Pulitzer's Yellow Newspapers (Historical Media Figures)

13. "Great Moon Hoax" (Historical Fake News)

14. Frankfurt's Notion of Bullshitting (Philosophical Concept)

15. Poe's Law (Internet Term)

16. Satyricon (Ancient Roman Text)