Unchecked: The architecture of disinformation

Curious Squid

Misinformation and disinformation thrive in today’s technology landscape, and arguably present the greatest threat to modern society. Information architecture – the practice of designing and managing digital spaces – has an opportunity to intervene. This podcast looks at disinformation from an information architecture perspective, and considers ways to expand the practice of IA to address this new reality.  •••  What is Information Architecture? Information architecture is the practice of designing virtual structures – the shape and form of online spaces and digital products. When you click on a navigation menu or follow the steps in a process, you're experiencing the information architecture of a web site or digital product.  •••  What is disinformation? Understanding disinformation is the purpose of this podcast. We are trying to figure out exactly what it is and what it means. If information architecture is the practice of designing virtual spaces, then disinformation is something that can occupy that space to disrupt the user's experience. Alternatively, it is a way of manipulating the space (like flooding it with irrelevant facts) to achieve an end unrelated to the space's original intention.

  1. Oct 9

    Social Networks and Disinformation with Renée DiResta (S02 E03)

    Send us Fan Mail SYNOPSIS Renée DiResta, associate research professor at Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy and author of Invisible Rulers, joins Rachel and Dan to talk about how influencers, algorithms and crowds work together to decide what feels real and true online. She explains how monetization programs reward provocation, how opaque curation fuels stories of shadow banning, and how her MySky project gives users more control over their own feeds and more insight into how they work. Rachel describes the lens of Show Me the Money, and Dan introduces the lens of Authenticity. NOTE: GreenEarth is now MySky Throughout the episode Renée refers to her user-adjustable social media feed project with Jonathan Stray as "GreenEarth". Since the interview was recorded, they changed the project name to MySky. INTERVIEW WITH RENÉE DIRESTA Renée DiRestaRenée's book: Invisible Rulers: The People Who Turn Lies into RealityMySky (project with Jonathan Stray for bridging-based, user-adjustable feed for Bluesky)“It’s not social media anymore, it’s parasocial media” (essay by danah boyd, cited by Renée)Facebook “Trending Topics” controversy (the 2016 Gizmodo report on Facebook’s human curators)For Expertise to Matter, Nonpartisan Institutions Need New Communications Strategies (Carnegie Endowment paper by Rachel Kleinfeld and Renée DiResta)LENSES Show Me the Money Systems are shaped by visible structures like navigation and taxonomy, and also by invisible ones, especially the incentive and monetization rules underneath them. Those rules decide what content gets made, surfaced and rewarded just as much as any content model does. How do the system’s monetization rules or incentive structures act as an information model, shaping what content people see and how it flows?What does the system count, and are people gaming it? If so, why?Who benefits from the incentives in the system: the business, creators, sellers, advertisers or users?Authenticity Systems reward authenticity differently. Some expect participants to show up as their true selves, and others reward a curated or performed version of themselves. When trusted experts don’t offer authenticity, people go looking for it elsewhere, which creates space for voices that only perform it. What does the system expect of participants when it comes to being their true selves?Does the system reward honest self-representation, or does it reward a curated persona?How does the system tie contributions to identity, and when is anonymity beneficial or harmful?_____________________________________________________ Personnel Dan Brown, HostRachel Price, HostMusic Turtle Up Fool, by Elliot_____________________________________________________ Unchecked is a production of Curious Squid Curious Squid is a digital design consulting firm specializing in information architecture, user experience, and product design

    Social Networks and Disinformation with Renée DiResta (S02 E03)

  2. Aug 21

    Nutrition Science and Disinformation with Dr. Laura Thomas (S02 E02)

    Send us Fan Mail Synopsis Dr. Laura Thomas, a London-based registered nutritionist and author, joins Rachel and Dan to trace how nutrition science gets warped as it moves from academic research through press releases and journalism into social media and, ultimately, into products for sale. Laura argues that framing health as a personal, individual project obscures the social and structural forces — capitalism, class, and gender — that actually shape people's ability to eat well.  Interview Dr. Laura Thomas — nutritionist and writer behind the "Can I Have Another Snack?" newsletter@LauraThomasPhD — Laura's Instagram presence, where she writes about diet culture and nutrition misinformationHuman Microbiome Project — the publicly funded 2007 research initiative Laura traces as the root of the gut-health boomPriya Fielding-Singh and Merin Oleschuk's research on "food work" — sociological framing of the domestic labor involved in feeding a familyLenses Lens 1: Between a Rock and a Hard Place Mainstream responses to health problems tend to focus on individual choices while ignoring that we live inside systems that constrain and shape our decisions. This lens asks us to notice when a "choice" is really an illusion. What is the environment allowing or disallowing an individual to do, and why?What judgment does the system cast on what counts as a "good" or "bad" choice?Is this a real choice, or does it just create the illusion of control — like an account "deactivation" button that doesn't actually delete your data?Lens 2: Crossing the Streams Information sometimes flows from a domain governed by rigorous norms — like academic science — into a domain built on entirely different incentives, like social media. When it crosses over, the information tends to take on the incentive structure of its new home, warping the content to align with the new environment. What incentive structure governs the space where this information originated, versus where you're encountering it now?Has the information kept the values of its source (accuracy, nuance), or adopted the values of its current home (clicks, sensationalism)?Whose job is it to bridge that gap — the platform's, or the person consuming the information?Edited by Jared Landis _____________________________________________________ Personnel Dan Brown, HostRachel Price, HostMusic Turtle Up Fool, by Elliot_____________________________________________________ Unchecked is a production of Curious Squid Curious Squid is a digital design consulting firm specializing in information architecture, user experience, and product design

    Nutrition Science and Disinformation with Dr. Laura Thomas (S02 E02)

  3. Jul 6

    Immigration and Disinformation with Qasim Rashid (S02 E01)

    Send us Fan Mail CONTENT WARNING Descriptions of incarceration, the treatment of detainees SYNOPSIS Human rights lawyer and immigration attorney Qasim Rashid joins Rachel and Dan to dismantle the myth of a clear, consistent "legal way" to immigrate. The conversation moves between misinformation about the immigration system itself and misinformation about immigrants as people, ultimately examining the bipartisan failure to counter demonizing narratives. Rachel and Dan close with the lenses of Law-Abiding Citizen and Zero-Sum Framing. INTERVIEW WITH QASIM RASHID Qasim Rashid — human rights lawyer, author, and former U.S. congressional candidateDying of Whiteness by Jonathan Metzl — referenced on rural white communities opposing Medicaid expansionThe New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander — referenced on sophisticated modern expressions of racismStamped from the Beginning by Ibram X. Kendi — referenced on racism and educationCato Institute research on immigration and wages — cited on immigrants' effect on native-born wagesProPublica report on wrongly detained U.S. citizens — cited on citizens arrested on suspicion of being immigrantsLENSES Lens 1: Law-Abiding Citizen Systems often assume users can simply intuit and follow their rules, without asking whether those rules are clearly communicated in the first place. This lens asks whether a system's apparent simplicity is real or assumed — and whether confusion or noncompliance is a design failure being  blamed on the individual. How does the system communicate its rules, and can a user reasonably be expected to understand them without interpretation?How easy does the system make it to be a "law-abiding citizen" within it?If the system isn't communicating its rules well, is that a byproduct of messiness — or intentional?Lens 2: Zero-Sum Framing Many systems, and the narratives built around them, implicitly frame resources, opportunity, or belonging as finite — where one group's gain necessarily means another's loss. This lens looks for where that zero-sum framing is being applied, whether it reflects reality, and who benefits from convincing people to see the world that way. Where does the system (or the discourse around it) frame things in terms of scarce, competing resources?Is the zero-sum trade-off actually true, or is it a rhetorical or negotiating tactic?Who benefits from people believing a situation is zero-sum when it may not be? Episode edited by Jared Landis https://www.landispodcastediting.com/ _____________________________________________________ Personnel Dan Brown, HostRachel Price, HostMusic Turtle Up Fool, by Elliot_____________________________________________________ Unchecked is a production of Curious Squid Curious Squid is a digital design consulting firm specializing in information architecture, user experience, and product design

    Immigration and Disinformation with Qasim Rashid (S02 E01)

  4. Season 2 Trailer

    S02 Trailer: Reflections on Season 1, What's coming, What we hope to explore

    Send us Fan Mail SYNOPSIS Dan and Rachel kick off Season 2 of Unchecked by looking back at what season one taught them and what's ahead. We reflect on the toll of researching disinformation. They also preview season two's research directions, including Rachel's interest in the everyday myths people unconsciously rely on and Dan's theory that there's a "big lie" at the center of every domain, plus topics they're eager to dig into next. Edited by Jared Landis _____________________________________________________ Personnel Dan Brown, HostRachel Price, HostMusic Turtle Up Fool, by Elliot_____________________________________________________ Unchecked is a production of Curious Squid Curious Squid is a digital design consulting firm specializing in information architecture, user experience, and product design

  5. May 30

    Episode 14: Disinformation and economic data, with Dr. Elise Gould

    Send us Fan Mail Synopsis Dr. Elise Gould, senior economist at the Economic Policy Institute, joins Rachel and Dan to pull back the curtain on how economic data is collected, revised, and communicated — and how that process is vulnerable to political manipulation. We talk about the federal statistical agencies that produce employment and wage data, the role of transparency and revision in maintaining trust, and the pressure those institutions are under today. Rachel and Dan close with two lenses: Human vs. System Integrity and Maybe. Interview Dr. Elise Gould — senior economist, Economic Policy InstituteEconomic Policy Institute — nonpartisan think tank focused on employment, wages, and inequalityEPI Microdata — EPI's publicly accessible economic microdata siteState of Working America Data Library — EPI's public database of wages, employment, and inequality dataEPI Data Accountability Dashboard — EPI's tool for tracking parallel measures and monitoring changes to federal dataBureau of Labor Statistics — federal agency that produces jobs and unemployment dataPhilosophy Minis — Jonny Thomson's Instagram account featuring short philosophical vignettes (referenced by Dan in the lenses segment)Lenses Lens 1: Human vs. System Integrity Information systems rely on some combination of built-in mechanisms and individual actors — whistleblowers, researchers, editors, external stakeholders — to maintain the integrity of their data. This lens asks where that responsibility actually lives. What mechanisms are built into the system for detecting anomalies or integrity issues?How much does the system rely on humans to address failures of integrity or reliability?When there are gaps, inconsistencies, or suspicious patterns in the data, whose job is it to surface them?What would it take for an integrity failure to go unnoticed — and how much of that risk has the system actually designed against?Lens 2: Maybe Drawn from the parable of the lost horse, this lens challenges the impulse to frame information as inherently good or bad news. Data systems — like dashboards and reports — routinely signal conclusions for users, even with incomplete context. When presenting data as either good or bad, does the system also present the sufficient context to explain why?How does the system signal urgency or alarm — and how are users empowered to specify the rules of urgency?What tools does the system offer users to reach their own conclusions without pushing them to a predetermined frame? Edited by Jared Landis (https://www.landispodcastediting.com/) _____________________________________________________ Personnel Dan Brown, HostRachel Price, HostMusic Turtle Up Fool, by Elliot_____________________________________________________ Unchecked is a production of Curious Squid Curious Squid is a digital design consulting firm specializing in information architecture, user experience, and product design

    Episode 14: Disinformation and economic data, with Dr. Elise Gould

  6. May 3

    Episode 13: Disinformation and gun culture, with JJ Janflone

    Send us Fan Mail CONTENT WARNING This episode of Unchecked deals with the sensitive topic of gun violence. SYNOPSIS JJ Janflone, who works on culture change and narrative strategy at Brady: United Against Gun Violence, joins Rachel and Dan to unpack the Big Lie at the center of gun violence disinformation. JJ explains how that single falsehood generates cascading misbeliefs — about storage, risk, and identity — and describes Brady's efforts to shift gun culture. Rachel identifies the lens Accidents Happen and Dan suggests the lens Wild Imagination. INTERVIEW Brady: United Against Gun Violence — gun violence prevention organization where JJ works on culture changeThis is Our Lane – Brady initiative amplifying healthcare professionals' voices on gun violenceShow Gun Safety – Brady program to depict gun safety in entertainmentThe Dickey Amendment — 1996 legislation that banned CDC funding for gun violence research for over two decades (rescinded 2019)LENSES Wild Imagination When a core premise goes unchallenged — like the idea that guns make you safer — information systems without guardrails allow users to spin that premise into increasingly untethered conclusions. The result is a cascade of misinformation that distorts risk perception and makes it nearly impossible to reason toward accurate, proportionate responses. Does the system provide any framing or guardrails that help users interpret broad claims responsibly?How does the system help users accurately assess where risk actually lies, rather than where they imagine it to be?When users construct false or exaggerated threat scenarios, how does the system correct or contextualize them?Accidents Happen Once an action is taken in an information system — sharing a post, liking content, amplifying a story — it sends signals that are difficult or impossible to fully reverse. Even well-intentioned interactions can feed an algorithm in ways the user didn't intend, with consequences that outlast the original act. Does the system provide a meaningful undo mechanism, and does undoing an action actually reverse its downstream effects?How does the system handle users who want to signal disagreement with content without inadvertently amplifying it?When users change their minds about information they've already shared or engaged with, how does the system support them in communicating that change?(Show notes drafted by generative AI and edited by a human.) _____________________________________________________ Personnel Dan Brown, HostRachel Price, HostMusic Turtle Up Fool, by Elliot_____________________________________________________ Unchecked is a production of Curious Squid Curious Squid is a digital design consulting firm specializing in information architecture, user experience, and product design

    Episode 13: Disinformation and gun culture, with JJ Janflone

  7. Mar 31

    Episode 12: Disinformation and community moderation, with Karen McGrane

    Send us Fan Mail Synopsis Karen McGrane joins Rachel and Dan to explain Reddit from the perspective of a moderator. Reddit is the largest message board on the internet, with thousands of “sub-Reddits” – individual communities based on a topic. Karen moderates the community dedicated to UX Design, which gets hundreds of new posts every week. Rachel and Dan then explore two Lenses: Swarm and Curation Escape. Stories "About this Account" on X/Twitter Renee Diresta’s SubstackBig Tobacco Tobacco industry playbook (Wikipedia)Disinformation playbook (Union of Concerned Scientists) Interview with Karen McGrane Karen McGrane/r/UXDesign subreddit Lenses Curation Escape So much of our experience online is curated by algorithms. A set of rules – not chosen by you – governs what bubbles up into your feed. This set of rules is at the heart of most modern information systems, and can be responsible for perpetuating misinformation. They pose a disinformation risk by people who manipulate the algorithm. How does the system allow users to escape the curation?What role does algorithmic curation play in the system’s experience?How does the system allow users to tailor the curation algorithm? Swarm Participants in online spaces can exhibit swarming behavior, gathering and moving as if one. Swarming groups end up performing a variety of functions – both desirable and undesirable – in an online information space. They can enforce social norms, or alienate other participants. Likewise, they can squash misinformation, or cause it to perpetuate. How does the system react to swarm behavior? How does the system benefit from swarm behavior?How might swarming cause harm? Come see us at Information Architecture Conference (IAC26) Register for IACUse discount code unchecked for $50 off base admission_____________________________________________________ Personnel Dan Brown, HostRachel Price, HostMusic Turtle Up Fool, by Elliot_____________________________________________________ Unchecked is a production of Curious Squid Curious Squid is a digital design consulting firm specializing in information architecture, user experience, and product design

    Episode 12: Disinformation and community moderation, with Karen McGrane

  8. Feb 14

    Episode 11: Disinformation and abortion, with Dr. Ushma Upadhyay

    Send us Fan Mail SYNOPSIS Speaking to Dr. Ushma Upadhyay, Rachel and Dan dig into misinformation about abortion – who gets them, why they get them, and how they get them. You may be surprised by some of the answers. Dr. Upadhyay describes her research around abortion safety and abortion via telehealth. Rachel proposes the lens “Retraction” and Dan leans on an old favorite, “Personas”. STORIES OF DISINFORMATION Y2K hype The end of the world in TimeY2K Panic in Popular MechanicsFraud in Minnesota: A misinformation perfect storm Dave Weigel’s post on BlueSky   INTERVIEW  Dr. Ushma Upadhyay FDA directed to review the safety of mifepristoneMifepristone in the water LENSES ⇒ Persona Everyone makes assumptions about who participates, contributes to, or benefits from a system. Those assumptions are rarely challenged, and therefore become the source of or impetus for misinformation. This lens suggests unpacking assumptions is a crucial step in understanding the system. What are your assumptions about who is engaged with your system?What are your preconceived notions about who is involved?When you use labels to describe your users, does everyone agree on what those labels mean?⇒ Retraction Publishing in formal and professional venues includes the capability to correct or retract information published there. This is a crucial part of the process, as new information can change understanding. Moreover, mistakes and misinformation need to be marked as such. This lens invites you to look at the way in which your system supports retraction. What are the system’s built-in mechanisms that allow users to retract information?How is retracted information treated differently in the system?How does the system invite users to challenge information to kick off a retraction process? CONFERENCE DISCOUNT CODE Join us at the Information Architecture Conference in Philadelphia in April Use discount code UNCHECKED to get $50 the base conference fee _____________________________________________________ Personnel Dan Brown, HostRachel Price, HostMusic Turtle Up Fool, by Elliot_____________________________________________________ Unchecked is a production of Curious Squid Curious Squid is a digital design consulting firm specializing in information architecture, user experience, and product design

    Episode 11: Disinformation and abortion, with Dr. Ushma Upadhyay
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Misinformation and disinformation thrive in today’s technology landscape, and arguably present the greatest threat to modern society. Information architecture – the practice of designing and managing digital spaces – has an opportunity to intervene. This podcast looks at disinformation from an information architecture perspective, and considers ways to expand the practice of IA to address this new reality.  •••  What is Information Architecture? Information architecture is the practice of designing virtual structures – the shape and form of online spaces and digital products. When you click on a navigation menu or follow the steps in a process, you're experiencing the information architecture of a web site or digital product.  •••  What is disinformation? Understanding disinformation is the purpose of this podcast. We are trying to figure out exactly what it is and what it means. If information architecture is the practice of designing virtual spaces, then disinformation is something that can occupy that space to disrupt the user's experience. Alternatively, it is a way of manipulating the space (like flooding it with irrelevant facts) to achieve an end unrelated to the space's original intention.

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