On Tuesday 18 March, Online Talks, the collaborative initiative between TaRC and the Russian Media Lab (University of Helsinki), explores the dynamics of disinformation.
We will hear from PhD Zea Szebeni, social psychologist and a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Helsinki, who has studied disinformation and trust dynamics in Hungary.
Dr Szebeni’s research challenges conventional assumptions that only distrust leads to disinformation susceptibility, revealing how excessive trust can be equally problematic in less democratic contexts.
In her doctoral dissertation, Dr Szebeni examined how individuals construct their understanding of truth. A key case study examined online discussions surrounding the Bucha massacre, analyzing how Hungarian-speaking social media users negotiated and contested competing narratives.
Instead of simply categorizing beliefs as true or false, her research offers an alternative perspective on how conspiracy theories might function as meaningful ways for people to interpret complex societal changes. The findings highlight the importance of context-specific approaches to addressing information challenges in contemporary society.
Speaker bio:
Zea Szebeni’s further research interests include alternative epistemologies, visual politics and social media. She currently works in the Democratic Epistemic Capacities in the Age of Algorithms (DECA) project, studying collective epistemic ownership.
Event info:
This Online Talk will be held on Zoom on Tuesday 18 March 2025 at 12.00–13.30 Finnish time (GMT+2). Discussion will be moderated by Dr Katja Lehtisaari (Tampere University).