Date of Award
Spring 5-26-2023
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
School
School of Computing
First Advisor
Filipo Sharevski, PhD
Second Advisor
Janine Spears, PhD
Third Advisor
Jacob Furst, PhD
Abstract
As misinformation continues to spread on social media, its residents have begun to fight back, independent of any platform. This organic resistance to the diffusion of misinformation is a clearly observable phenomenon with roots in Anonymous’ distributed campaigns from the 2010s outwards. Hacker and information security communities are acting in defense of some of their favorite spaces, most notably, Twitter. Security researchers of all stripes use it for sharing indicators of compromise but, as the diffusion of misinformation becomes more problematic it becomes more difficult to find signals in the noise.
These actors’ response to the issues at hand is polarizing, some convinced that political (counter) argumentation is a perpetual nuisance while others passionately attack the roots of misinformation, wherever they perceive it. In this study, researchers interview twenty-three cyberspace actors, highly active on Twitter & Discord, to better understand their mental models of misinformation, how they conceptualize counter operations and their thoughts on the efficacy of the tactics, tools and procedures involved therein.
Recommended Citation
Kessell, Benjamin, "Hacker, influencer, counter-culture spy: cyberspace actors’ models of misinformation and counter-operations" (2023). College of Computing and Digital Media Dissertations. 47.
https://via.library.depaul.edu/cdm_etd/47