In our fourth and final sequence, we read six texts about misinformation and the contemporary media environment (see below for list of texts). For Out-of-class Essay 4, you will write an essay about three of these texts. Unlike in previous sequences, I am not going to give you a specific question to answer. Instead, you will develop your own focus. The goal here is similar to the goal in our previous conversation essays. You will make an argument about how three of these texts help us better understand misinformation and the media environment. Your argument should be specific, focusing on a particular aspect of these issues. But it is up to you what you focus on.
Word count: 1,250 to 2,000 words
Some aspects you might consider focusing on:
The role of Big Tech (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and others) in controlling the spread of misinformation. How much power do they have to control misinformation? Should they have that much power? What have they done, or not done, to control misinformation, and with what results?
The relationship between misinformation and the economics of Big Tech. In what ways does misinformation damage, or serve, Big Techs economic interests? How have its economic interests affected its response to misinformation?
The relationship between misinformation, Big Tech, and the law. How do legal concepts such as the First Amendment (mentioned or alluded to in various texts) or Section 230 (mentioned in Weiner) complicate the fight against misinformation?
The effects of misinformation on elections and other political processes
The effects of misinformation on public health (i.e., the response to the coronavirus pandemic)
As you develop your essay, it will be crucial set constraints for yourself. You cant talk about all aspects of misinformation. Pick an aspect of this issue that interests and you locate the texts (and the parts of those texts) that speak to that aspect. Identify keywords, key concepts, key details, and key passages that illuminate that aspect. And keep your attention on how your three texts use formword choice, structure, metaphor, statistics, etc.to help us comprehend that aspect more clearly. Your goal is to tell your general reader how these three texts complicate and enrich our understanding of misinformation.
