TMU Social Media Lab Guest Speaker Series (In-person or via Zoom) : "How does the social media based attention economy contribute to dehumanization and division?" by Dr. Jaigris Hodson on March 10, 2026 at 11:15am (ET)
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Anatoliy Gruzd
Feb 18, 2026, 1:03:09 PMFeb 18
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You are invited either in person or via Zoom!
Title: How does the social media based attention economy contribute to dehumanization and division? A case study of the Joe Rogan Experience
Guest Speaker: Dr. Jaigris Hodson, Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair, Royal Roads University
When: Tuesday, March 10, 2026 at 11:15 AM – 12:30 PM (ET)
RSVP: https://forms.gle/YrT4qQ2nNNwn9FMe9
Where: In-Person OR Online
Social media is one of the systemic issues that are driving
polarization and division. Via algorithmic sorting, audience capture,
and the engagement economy, the content that trends on interactive
platforms often arouses strong negative emotions that separate us,
scapegoat marginalized communities or individuals, and entrench the
already influential. But why does the technology work this way.
Exploring Jodi Dean’s foundational concept of communicative
capitalism, and using the Joe Rogan Experience podcast as a case
study, this presentation will explore the relationships between
misinformation, dehumanizing discourses, polarization and business
models in the attention economy. In so doing, it highlights how
current scholarship that divides disinformation and misinformation by
intent may be missing a bigger picture of how and why toxic
information spreads so readily.
About the Speaker
Jaigris Hodson is the Canada Research Chair in Digital Misinformation,
Polarization, and Anti-Social Media. Their research takes an
interdisciplinary approach to understanding how the technologies we
use to communicate heighten our vulnerabilities to misinformation,
polarization, and other on- and offline anti-social behaviors. Hodson
uses novel, field-building approaches to map the relationships between
polarization, misinformation, and online harassment, and to facilitate
democratic communication. As a Canadian Science Policy Fellow
(2018-2019), Jaigris worked with Environment and Climate Change Canada
to assist in understanding how to best communicate the science of
climate change to the Canadian public. Jaigris is on the editorial
board for the Journal of Digital and Social Media Marketing.
See more details at
https://socialmedialab.ca/2026/02/16/research-talk-how-does-the-social-media-based-attention-economy-contribute-to-dehumanization-and-division-a-case-study-of-the-joe-rogan-experience/
Guest Speaker: Dr. Jaigris Hodson, Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair, Royal Roads University
When: Tuesday, March 10, 2026 at 11:15 AM – 12:30 PM (ET)
RSVP: https://forms.gle/YrT4qQ2nNNwn9FMe9
Where: In-Person OR Online
- In-person location: Ted Rogers School of Management, TRS 3-006, 55 Dundas St.W, Toronto, ON
- Online location: Zoom (*Zoom link will be shared with registered attendees)
Social media is one of the systemic issues that are driving
polarization and division. Via algorithmic sorting, audience capture,
and the engagement economy, the content that trends on interactive
platforms often arouses strong negative emotions that separate us,
scapegoat marginalized communities or individuals, and entrench the
already influential. But why does the technology work this way.
Exploring Jodi Dean’s foundational concept of communicative
capitalism, and using the Joe Rogan Experience podcast as a case
study, this presentation will explore the relationships between
misinformation, dehumanizing discourses, polarization and business
models in the attention economy. In so doing, it highlights how
current scholarship that divides disinformation and misinformation by
intent may be missing a bigger picture of how and why toxic
information spreads so readily.
About the Speaker
Jaigris Hodson is the Canada Research Chair in Digital Misinformation,
Polarization, and Anti-Social Media. Their research takes an
interdisciplinary approach to understanding how the technologies we
use to communicate heighten our vulnerabilities to misinformation,
polarization, and other on- and offline anti-social behaviors. Hodson
uses novel, field-building approaches to map the relationships between
polarization, misinformation, and online harassment, and to facilitate
democratic communication. As a Canadian Science Policy Fellow
(2018-2019), Jaigris worked with Environment and Climate Change Canada
to assist in understanding how to best communicate the science of
climate change to the Canadian public. Jaigris is on the editorial
board for the Journal of Digital and Social Media Marketing.
See more details at
https://socialmedialab.ca/2026/02/16/research-talk-how-does-the-social-media-based-attention-economy-contribute-to-dehumanization-and-division-a-case-study-of-the-joe-rogan-experience/
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