Join us on Monday, October 21st at 7pm for a conversation with Samuel Woolley around his new book MANUFACTURING CONSENSUS: Understanding Propaganda in the Era of Automation and Anonymity. Woolley is the founder of the Propaganda Research Lab and a former professor at the University of Texas at Austin, and the Dietrich Chair of Disinformation Studies at the University of Pittsburgh. MANUFACTURING CONSENSUS is an in-depth exploration of social media and emergent technology that details the inner workings of modern propaganda. Samuel will be joined in conversation by Robert Downen, a reporter on democracy and extremism at the Texas Tribune.

Tickets for this event include a copy of the book and a reserved seat; RSVPs are encouraged, and all unreserved seats will be available on a first come, first served basis.

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about the book

‍Until recently, propaganda was a top-down, elite-only system of communication control used largely by state actors. Samuel Woolley argues that social media has democratized today’s propaganda, allowing nearly anyone to launch a fairly sophisticated, computationally enhanced influence campaign. Woolley shows how social media, with its anonymity and capacity for automation, allows a wide variety of groups to build the illusion of popularity through computational tools (such as bots) and human-driven efforts (such as sockpuppets—real people assuming false identities online—and partisan influencers). They use these technologies and strategies to create a bandwagon effect by bringing the content into parallel discussions with other legitimate users, or to mold discontent for political purposes. Drawing on eight years of original international ethnographic research among the people who build, combat, and experience these propaganda campaigns, Woolley presents an extensive view of the evolution of computational propaganda, offers a glimpse into the future, and suggests pragmatic responses for policy makers, academics, technologists, and others.

about the author

Samuel Woolley is the founder of the Propaganda Research Lab and a former professor at the University of Texas at Austin, and the Dietrich Chair of Disinformation Studies at the University of Pittsburgh. He is the author of The Reality Game: How the Next Wave of Technology Will Break the Truth.

Robert Downen is a reporter covering democracy and the threats to it, including extremism, disinformation and conspiracies. Before joining the Tribune in 2022, he worked for five years at the Houston Chronicle.

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