Cal Poly course explores the psychology of misinformation in the digital age
The inspiration for a new class at Cal Poly Pomona is the increasing prevalence of misinformation and conspiracy-centered thinking in society, which has been accelerated through social media and, more recently, the use of generative AI to spread events that never happened, says Prof. Shonn Haren. ‘I hope students come away more familiar with the many ways misinformation is created and learn to think twice before reacting to inflammatory content they encounter online,’ Haren says.
Cal Poly Pomona News
The Innovation Incubator at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, is launching a new pop-up course this upcoming spring titled, Drowning in BS: Conspiracies, Urban Legends and AI Slop in the Digital World, which will examine how misinformation spreads in online spaces, why people believe it, and how it shapes society, politics, and democracy. Profs. Randy Stein, Shonn Haren, and L. Lin Ong will lead instruction.
Through engaging discussions, media analysis, and case studies, students will learn how to navigate media bias, understand the psychology behind belief in conspiracies and critically evaluate the information they encounter online. The course also investigates how generative AI tools can amplify misinformation through text, images, and video.
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