Lectures on Tap - The Evolution of Propaganda: From World Wars to Deepfakes

📍 Location: Exact address given in confirmation email

🧠 Lecture: "The Evolution of Propaganda: From World Wars to Deepfakes"

🎤 Speaker: Dr. Katie Elder

Join us for a timely and eye-opening evening as Dr. Katie Elder traces the evolution of mass propaganda and misinformation from its modern roots in the World Wars to today’s era of social media and deepfakes. Focusing largely on the United States, this lecture explores how political, health, and science misinformation spread—and why we are so susceptible to it. Dr. Elder will unpack the psychology of belief and show how persuasive messages are crafted to exploit our values, identities, and fears.

Drawing on her work in health communication, government, and academia, Dr. Elder will conclude with practical, research-informed strategies for “inoculating” ourselves and our communities against misinformation’s harms.

Katherine (“Katie”) Elder is an Assistant Teaching Professor of Communication at UC Santa Barbara and a former program analyst in the Obama administration at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. She has worked on projects for federal agencies and global health organizations, and holds a Ph.D. in Health Communication from USC and a Master of Public Affairs from the University of Texas, Austin.

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