15th Annual Attallah Lecture with Dr. Joan Donovan

Thursday, October 3, 2024 from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm

• In-person event
• 2228, Richcraft Hall, Carleton University
• 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON, K1S 5B6

• Contact
• Jaime Sadgrove, sjcresource@carleton.ca, (613) 520-2600 x.8406

The Carleton Communication and Media Studies program invites you to join them October 3 for the 15th Annual Attallah Lecture, “Meme War 2024: Networked Incitement in the Static Age”.

In this talk, Joan Donovan will offer a contemporary analysis of the political communication strategies that leverage the ambiguity of memes to carry out media manipulation and disinformation campaigns. In her co-authored book, Meme Wars, Donovan argues that political communication is at a crossroads as more and more people find their news, entertainment, and politics packaged and delivered through black-boxed algorithms. During election season, platforms become a battleground, where competing factions drive public opinion on wedge issues to villainize opponents and valorize their party. Memes become a powerful psychological weapon in the netwar, where it becomes difficult to differentiate between citizens and combatants.

Reception 6:00 PM / Lecture 7:00 PM. Please join us in person or virtually.