The Cognitive Crucible

Written by: Information Professionals Association
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  • Summary

  • The Cognitive Crucible explores all aspects of our generational challenge: Cognitive Security. It is the only podcast dedicated to increasing interdisciplinary collaboration between information operations practitioners, scholars, and policy makers. Join the discussion forum each week with the Cognitive Crucible host, John Bicknell. Have a question or would like to suggest a topic go to: https://information-professionals.org/podcasts/cognitive-crucible.
    2023 Information Professionals Association
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Political Science Science
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Episodes
  • #213 Sviatoslav Hnizdovskyi on Countering Authoritarian Influence

    #213 Sviatoslav Hnizdovskyi on Countering Authoritarian Influence
    Jan 28 2025

    The Cognitive Crucible is a forum that presents different perspectives and emerging thought leadership related to the information environment. The opinions expressed by guests are their own, and do not necessarily reflect the views of or endorsement by the Information Professionals Association.

    During this episode, Sviatoslav Hnizdovskyi Sviatoslav discusses propaganda and disinformation in society and the challenges of discerning truth in the age of social media. OpenMinds’ specific expertise lies in working with hard-to-reach regions, including occupied territories, closed platforms, and authoritarian or restricted societies.

    Recording Date: 14 Jan 2025

    Research Question: Sviat Hnizdovskyi suggests an interested student or researcher examine:

    • What are the key motivational drivers behind the mobilization of Russian soldiers?
    • How can we establish a link between changes in social media sentiment and real-world behavior?
    • What are some effective approaches to measuring impact and outcomes of counter-influence campaigns?

    Resources:

    • Cognitive Crucible Podcast Episodes Mentioned
      • #62 Jonathan Rauch on the Constitution of Knowledge
    • Openminds website
    • Openminds: Russian Threat Index
    • How to Win an Information War by Peter Pomerantsev
    • Awakening from the Meaning Crisis by John Vervaeke and Christopher Mastropietro
    • Zombies in Western Culture: A Twenty-First Century Crisis by John Vervaeke, Christopher Mastropietro, Filip Miscevic

    Link to full show notes and resources

    Guest Bio: Sviatoslav Hnizdovskyi is a CEO and Founder of OpenMinds - a cognitive defence tech company countering authoritarian influence in the battle for free and open societies. Renowned for its ability to access hard-to-reach areas through technology and leveraging deep local expertise, OpenMinds collaborates with Ukrainian and NATO-member governments, leading communication agencies, and think tanks. In the past two years, OpenMinds has executed 380+ counter-disinformation campaigns and conducted over 55 research projects on societal resilience and effects of propaganda, with a particular focus on the Russo-Ukrainian war. The company’s work has been featured in leading global media outlets, such as The Economist, CNN, The Times, The Guardian, and The New York Times.

    About: The Information Professionals Association (IPA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to exploring the role of information activities, such as influence and cognitive security, within the national security sector and helping to bridge the divide between operations and research. Its goal is to increase interdisciplinary collaboration between scholars and practitioners and policymakers with an interest in this domain.

    For more information, please contact us at communications@information-professionals.org.

    Or, connect directly with The Cognitive Crucible podcast host, John Bicknell, on LinkedIn.

    Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, 1) IPA earns from qualifying purchases, 2) IPA gets commissions for purchases made through links in this post.
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    39 mins
  • #212 Libby Lange on Algorithmic Cognitive Warfare

    #212 Libby Lange on Algorithmic Cognitive Warfare
    Dec 17 2024

    The Cognitive Crucible is a forum that presents different perspectives and emerging thought leadership related to the information environment. The opinions expressed by guests are their own, and do not necessarily reflect the views of or endorsement by the Information Professionals Association.

    During this episode, Libby Lange discusses her recent article: Algorithmic Cognitive Warfare: The Next Frontier in China’s Quest for Global Influence.

    Recording Date: 9 Dec 2024

    Research Question: Libby Lange suggests an interested student or researcher:

    1. Take the concept of Algorithmic Cognitive Warfare from the hypothetical and theoretical into the real world and find evidence of Chinese researchers who are actually retrieving data from data brokers.
    2. Investigate how Russia is pursuing adjacent or complementary Algorithmic Cognitive Warfare capabilities.

    Resources:

    • Cognitive Crucible Podcast Episodes Mentioned
      • #210 Paul Groestad on Cognitive Warfare
      • #187 Randy Rosin on Reflexive Control
    • Algorithmic Cognitive Warfare: The Next Frontier in China’s Quest for Global Influence by Libby Lange
    • Decoding China’s AI-Powered ‘Algorithmic Cognitive Warfare’ by Libby Lange
    • Special Competitive Studies Project (SCSP)
    • Active Measures by Thomas Rid

    Link to full show notes and resources

    Guest Bio: Libby Lange is a Director of Intelligence at the Special Competitive Studies Project. Prior to SCSP, Libby worked as an Intel Analyst at Graphika, where she focused on Chinese state-linked influence operations and public health misinformation. Prior to Graphika, she served as a speechwriter and communications manager for Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, accompanying the President on multiple state visits. Libby holds an M.A. in Global Affairs from Yale University and a B.A. in Political Science from National Taiwan University.

    About: The Information Professionals Association (IPA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to exploring the role of information activities, such as influence and cognitive security, within the national security sector and helping to bridge the divide between operations and research. Its goal is to increase interdisciplinary collaboration between scholars and practitioners and policymakers with an interest in this domain.

    For more information, please contact us at communications@information-professionals.org.

    Or, connect directly with The Cognitive Crucible podcast host, John Bicknell, on LinkedIn.

    Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, 1) IPA earns from qualifying purchases, 2) IPA gets commissions for purchases made through links in this post.
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    41 mins
  • #211 Michelle Ciulla Lipkin on Media Literacy Education

    #211 Michelle Ciulla Lipkin on Media Literacy Education
    Dec 10 2024
    The Cognitive Crucible is a forum that presents different perspectives and emerging thought leadership related to the information environment. The opinions expressed by guests are their own, and do not necessarily reflect the views of or endorsement by the Information Professionals Association. During this episode, Michelle Ciulla Lipkin, Executive Director of the National Association for Media Literacy Education, discusses the importance of media literacy in today's world, emphasizing its role in developing critical thinking, effective communication, and active citizenship. Michelle highlights the challenges of navigating the vast and complex information landscape, the need for community involvement in addressing media literacy issues, and the importance of supporting foundational work in this space. Learn about the complexities of the current media ecosystem, the shift from a consumer-centric to a participatory culture, and the challenges this presents for understanding and processing information. Recording Date: 5 Dec 2024 Resources: Cognitive Crucible Podcast Episodes Mentioned #107 Vanessa Otero on News Ecosystem Health National Association for Media Literacy EducationJoin NAMLE hereAssessment: IREX Learn to DiscernJournal of Media Literacy EducationNews Literacy ProjectSam Wineburg’s group, formerly Stanford History Education Group, now Digital Inquiry GroupInvisible Rulers by Renee DiResta Growing Up Public by Devorah Heitner News Literacy Now, How to Read the News by Bobbie Eisenstock Link to full show notes and resources Guest Bio: Michelle Ciulla Lipkin has served as Executive Director of the National Association for Media Literacy Education since 2012. Michelle has helped NAMLE grow to be the preeminent media literacy education association in the U.S. She launched Media Literacy Week in the U.S. now in its 10th year, developed strategic partnerships with companies such as Thomson Reuters, Meta, YouTube, and Nickelodeon, and restructured both the governance and membership of NAMLE. She has overseen seven national conferences, created the National Media Literacy Alliance for teacher membership organizations, and done countless appearances at conferences and in the media regarding the importance of media literacy education. Michelle was the recipient of the 2020 Global Media and Information Literacy Award given by UNESCO. Michelle is an alumni of the U.S. Dept. of State’s International Visitors Program (Australia/2018). She regularly serves as Adjunct Lecturer at Brooklyn College where she teaches Media Literacy. She sits on the Advisory Council for the ML3: Librarians as Leaders for Media Literacy initiative led by Project Look Sharp. Michelle began her career in children’s television production, in various roles on both corporate and production teams. She earned both her undergraduate and graduate degrees from New York University. Michelle focused her grad work on children and television where she caught the “media literacy bug”. After graduate school, Michelle worked as a facilitator for The LAMP (Learning about Multimedia Project) teaching media literacy and production classes for Pre-Kindergarten to 5th grade students. Her passion for media literacy education stems from a very personal place. Learn more about Michelle’s story here. When not thinking about media literacy, Michelle is either sitting at home in Brooklyn with her dog and husband, most likely reading, or at one of her kids’ music gigs somewhere around the country. About: The Information Professionals Association (IPA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to exploring the role of information activities, such as influence and cognitive security, within the national security sector and helping to bridge the divide between operations and research. Its goal is to increase interdisciplinary collaboration between scholars and practitioners and policymakers with an interest in this domain. For more information, please contact us at communications@information-professionals.org. Or, connect directly with The Cognitive Crucible podcast host, John Bicknell, on LinkedIn. Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, 1) IPA earns from qualifying purchases, 2) IPA gets commissions for purchases made through links in this post.
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    40 mins

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