Project Description
1.Investigate how immigrant populations in the Midwest emotionally engage with Russian disinformation narratives and strongman propaganda.
2. Identify emotional engagement patterns related to nostalgia, nationalism, and authoritarian ideals.
3.Assess how feelings of empowerment and submission manifest when immigrant groups are exposed to Russian disinformation narratives.
Methodology:
1. Collect data from social media platforms (e.g., Twitter, Facebook, Instagram) that discuss political narratives, specifically focusing on posts relating to Russia, Russian leadership, and authoritarian rhetoric. This will include analyzing Russian disinformation stories debunked by the EU Disinfo as coming from Russia
2. Employ AI-powered sentiment analysis tools to analyze social media posts, news articles, and public comments that relate to authoritarian figures.
3. Analyze quantitative data on the emotions expressed about strongman leaders, empowerment through identification with authoritarian figures
Tasks and Responsibilites
1. Social Media monitoring for debunked Russian disinformation stories: Student will go through trusted fact-checking websites and cross-reference their findings with social media data. They will tag and document instances where specific disinformation narratives related to Russia have been debunked.
2. Ongoing Literature Review: Student will conduct ongoing literature review on the latest research in sentiment analysis, Russian disinformation, and authoritarian rhetoric. They will help synthesize the findings with existing literature and theoretical frameworks on nationalism, nostalgia, and social influence.
Desired Qualifications
Maria Haigh
Information Studies
Information Studies (School of)