INCENDIARY ALCHEMIES: HOW CONSPIRACY THEORISTS, INTERNET ALGORITHMS, AND FAKE NEWS STORIES FOILED FIRST RESPONDERS AND UNDERMINED EVACUATION ORDERS IN THE SHUSWAP FOREST FIRES

Abstract

On November 18th, 2024, Dr. Wade Deisman presented Incendiary Alchemies: How Conspiracy Theorists, Internet Algorithms, and Fake News Stories Foiled First Responders and Undermined Evacuation Orders in the Shuswap Forest Fires. The presentation was followed by a question-and-answer period with questions from the audience and CASIS Vancouver executives. The key points discussed were the erosion of the conditions of possibility for democratic engagement, the role of digital culture in the process of public opinion formation, and the need for framework which acknowledges that the confluence between corrosive forces can create cascading synergies.

_{Received: 12-27-2024}

_{Revised: 01-28-2025}