Note: This event takes place in Edinburgh and not our normal Glasgow location.

Staying Safe From Misinformation, Fake News and Conspiracism.
Brought to you thanks to a collaboration between Edinburgh Napier University, Edinburgh Skeptics, and Glasgow Skeptics, we will be spending the evening dissecting elements of the Disinformation Superhighway. The event will feature short talks from each of our three expert speakers, followed by a panel discussion / Q&A where you the audience get to ask questions of the panel!

Join us as we unravel the mechanisms that propel individuals down the rabbit hole, tracing the path from seemingly harmless ideas to the adoption of radical beliefs. Gain insights into the slippery slope of conspiratorial thinking and discover the surprising connections that tie the seemingly unrelated threads of unconventional beliefs to the fabric of extremism. Are these beliefs merely eccentricities, or do they serve as indicators of a deeper vulnerability to radicalisation?

Your host: Dr Alice Howarth
Alice is a cancer researcher who has experience of working in laboratories across the Institute of Translational Medicine at the University of Liverpool. As well as her work qualifying her for a doctorate degree in this field, Alice is a prominent member of the scientific skepticism community in the UK and she co-organises events and activism with the Merseyside Skeptics Society, as well as acting co-hosting the popular podcast, Skeptics with a K.

Dr David Robertson – Who falls for fake news? An individual differences perspective.
Dr. David Robertson is a senior lecturer in psychology at the University of Strathclyde Department of Psychological Sciences and Health. His primary research focus is on identity recognition and identity fraud, and it was this latter interest that led to his involvement in collaborative research on the detection of fraudulent (fake) news. In particular, whether some people are better at detecting misinformation than others, why that is, and whether such an approach might support training interventions going forward.

Dr Yvonne Skipper – Empowering Young Minds: Tackling Misinformation Through Collaboration
As false information spreads faster than ever, this talk examines how misinformation impacts young people and how education, influencers, and tech can be used to turn the tide.
Dr Yvonne Skipper is a senior lecturer in Psychology, based in the School of Education at the University of Glasgow. Her research explores how we can co-create interventions which help young people to develop their skills in spotting misinformation and stay safe online.

Michael Marshall – How social media pulls people into rabbitholes and how to get them back out
Michael Marshall is the Project Director of the Good Thinking Society, Editor of The Skeptic, and President of the Merseyside Skeptics Society. He regularly speaks with proponents of pseudoscience for the Be Reasonable podcast, and presents investigative reporting on the Skeptics with a K podcast.
The event is unticketed though space may be restricted if capacity is reached. Please ensure you are there early to ensure access.
There is no charge for the event, but we will be asking for a voluntary donation for Edinburgh and Glasgow skeptics.