Event Info

• 3rd January 2023
• 11:00 am to 12:00 pm
• SINES (next to NSTP), NUST H-12 Campus
• Dr. Mehwish Nasim

Abstract

Contrary to expectations that the increased connectivity offered by the internet, particularly Online Social Networks (OSNs), would result in a broad consensus on contentious issues, we instead frequently observe the formation of polarised echo chambers, in which only one side of an argument is entertained. These can progress to filter bubbles, actively filtering contrasting opinions, resulting in vulnerability to misinformation and increased polarisation on social and political issues. These have real-world effects when they spread offline, such as vaccine hesitation and violence. This talk gives a glimpse of how this work seeks to better understand how echo chambers manifest in different discussions dealing with various issues over an extended period.

Speaker

Dr Mehwish Nasim is a Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in Computer Science at the University of Western Australia (UWA), where she teaches Advanced Algorithms and Artificial Intelligence. She also leads the Network Analysis and Social Influence Modeling lab at UWA. Dr Nasim has a PhD in network analysis from the University of Konstanz, in Germany. Her research lies at the intersection of applied mathematics and social sciences. Dr Nasim is particularly interested in social cyber security, explainable AI (XAI), combating online misinformation during population-level events, and designing serious games including some aspects of wargames. In addition to that, she is working on digital healthcare, particularly for emergent users.

Event Timeline