Spotlight on Digital Media And Learning

2.28.08 | Join us in Second Life for a discussion in a series on philanthropy and virtual worlds.  The event, “MacArthur and Virtual Worlds: Credibility and Reputation in the New News,” will be held on the USC Annenberg Island at 10:00a.m. PST on Friday, February 29, 2008.

The discussion, hosted by the USC Annenberg School for Communication, will explore questions about the credibility and accuracy of news and information in virtual worlds. Is the challenge of credibility assessment different in virtual worlds than in the real-world? How do people signal and assign trustworthiness in the virtual world? Are there credibility cues unique to the virtual space, or do real-world biases, brands and knowledge permeate what people believe and trust in virtual worlds? How is identity and reputation developed and protected, or alternatively, defamed or hijacked, in virtual worlds?

These questions will be explored by Kathy Im, Program Officer at the MacArthur Foundation, Tony Curzon Price, Editor of OpenDemocracy.net, and Jonathan Zittrain, Professor and Internet Scholar at Oxford University.

The event is an open dialogue where participants are encouraged to submit questions for the speakers. The event will use the Second Life Voicechat feature.

Hope to see you there.

Editor’s Note: See Tony Curzon Price’s post previewing this event. For archives of past events in our year-long series on philanthropy and virtual worlds see here and here.