Did the Pope really wear an oversized white puffer coat? Just because we saw it online, does that mean it’s true? What happens when seeing doesn’t necessarily mean believing? But how do we know if a picture or a tweet is authentic & true? What information do we see, and what do we miss? And what can we do if we can’t be sure?
From conspiracy theories around communal fault lines to the wave of COVID-19-related misinformation campaigns that took India by storm in 2020. The exponential increase in the number of internet users over the last decade clubbed with low levels of digital literacy has led to massive proliferation of misinformation across social media networks. This has emerged as one of the biggest challenges to the world’s largest polity’s deliberative capacity.
“The Glass Room: Misinformation Edition,” a project by Tactical Tech, was designed with the intention of addressing such questions while prompting deeper reflection on how false information spreads in the digital age and ultimately impacts our culture, politics, and society.
This self-learning installation begins by guiding the audience through what misinformation is, why it’s shared, how it spreads, and deconstructs the role each individual user plays through our many clicks, likes, and shares. The exhibition then delves into the business models and design practices that come together to outmanoeuvre our best judgement and create environments ripe for the spread of viral false narratives, in turn normalising misinformation.
A fascinating journey through how the gatekeepers of technology influence our behaviour and opinions, The Glass Room has run award-winning exhibitions in Berlin, London, New York, and San Francisco and been featured by several top-tier media houses. The portable version of the exhibition has been hosted in 61 countries with a steadily growing audience of over 352,000 individuals. The Glass Room has curated roughly 100 objects since its inception in 2016, each of which conveys critical views on the technologies that surround us, examines their impacts or helps visitors explore practical solutions to mitigate them.
About Tactical Tech
Tactical Tech is an international non-profit organisation working at the intersection of technology, human rights, and civil liberties. We provide trainings, conduct research, and create cultural interventions that contribute to the wider socio-political debate around digital security, privacy, and the ethics of data. https://tacticaltech.org/
About Internet Freedom Foundation
The Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF) is an award-winning and impact-focused digital rights organisation from India, formed from the SaveTheInternet movement. IFF’s mission is to advance and protect democratic freedoms for every Indian in a digital society. https://internetfreedom.in
Hosted by Internet Freedom Foundation with Khoj Studios
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