Resource person: Pam Petrie

Description:

Fifty years ago a technological revolution began to reshape our society. Where initially there was optimism about the benefits of digital technologies, now there is concern and fear about its detrimental effects on society and democracy. In this course we will examine how exponential growth in computer power, mass datafication and advances in artificial intelligence, and the rise of huge data platform corporations – Facebook, Google, Amazon, Apple, and Microsoft – have created an era of mass surveillance and corporate control. We will ask, how is social media impacting politics, political institutions and electoral policies? How has it facilitated the rise of populism and, in particular, right-wing populism, fake news and misinformation? This leads us to examine how these factors are leading to democratic backsliding, a deliberate turning away from the institutions that underlie democracy in favour of authoritarian systems of government. Finally, we ask how may this trend be reversed?

Instructor: Jay Smith, PhD, is Professor Emeritus of Political Science at Athabasca University in Alberta. He has written and published on new communications technologies, globalization, religion, trade politics, transnational networks, democracy and citizenship. Courses he has taught include “Politics of Our Networked World in the Digital Era” (at Athabasca University) and “Populism, Social Media, Elections and Fake News” (at ElderCollege, VIU).

Mandatory membership(s):

• Individual Membership 2025-26

Available spots: 31 out of 40

Price: $44.00 Taxes not included

Notes: The instructor will circulate recommended readings prior to the course start.

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