Title: Argumentation in the Age of Disinformation
Abstract:
A quick Google search reveals news headlines such as, “2024 will be the Year of Democracy – or Disinformation,” “Elections and Disinformation Are Colliding Like Never Before in 2024,” “Disinformation Poses an Unprecedented Threat in 2024,” and “We Must Not Allow 2024 to be the Year Fake News Destroys Democracy.” Indeed, problems associated with mis/disinformation have been proliferating in the last decade, and now we are seeing an existential threat of AI intrusion in our news and electoral politics. This now all-too-real Sci-Fi scenario converges in 2024 with over 40 key national elections around the globe. To make matters worse, we have over 8 billion humans – two billion of whom will be eligible for election participation – that are not skilled in basic media literacy skills, much less more advanced competencies regarding digital media, and – now – digital disinformation and AI. As such, I briefly explore the intersecting forces that are shaping this crisis in order to lay a foundation for a more detailed examination of how argument and debate skills can help us temper and moderate what the World Economic Forum calls the “top risk” in 2024 – the mutually-reinforcing menace of disinformation and AI content that can influence democratic elections all over the planet. Despite this dire threat, we can explore how debate and argumentation skills translate into vital digital media literacies that can help address this global crisis. Practical strategies and exercises will also be noted so that we can confront the AI-disinformation hazards that are jeopardizing global democracy.