Digital Manipulation Talk

Join Dr Jon Roozenbeek, incoming Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Cambridge, where he will explore the digital manipulation economy and how cheap, fake accounts are distorting the online enviroment!

Date: Tuesday Feburary 26th

Time: 18:30-19:30

Location: Judge Business School, Room LT2

If you have any access issues/questions, email us at Q29udGFjdCB8IGN1c3BlICEgb3JnICEgdWs=!

Title: The digital manipulation economy: how cheap fake accounts are laying waste to the internet

Abstract: Up to 25% of all internet traffic may consist of “bad bots”, designed to scalp tickets, steal personal data, spread disinformation, or scam people out of money. With the rise of generative AI, the methods we use to detect these bots are failing, necessitating innovative ways of understanding and countering digital manipulation. In this talk, Jon Roozenbeek discusses the underground market where “bad bots”, fake likes, and entire influence operations are for sale for next to nothing. He presents the Cambridge Online Trust and Safety Index, a new website which tracks the cost of fake accounts across more than 190 countries and over 500 platforms. He argues that a market perspective on digital manipulation can lead to innovative ways to disincentivise unwanted online content, by making it more expensive and cumbersome to produce.

Bio: Jon Roozenbeek is an incoming Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Cambridge and the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. He studies (mis)belief formation, intergroup conflict, polarisation, and the use and misuse of modern communication technologies. He has authored over 70 peer-reviewed publications and two recent books: The Psychology of Misinformation (with Prof. Sander van der Linden) and Propaganda and Ideology in the Russian-Ukrainian War. His work has been awarded numerous distinctions, including the 2024 Rising Star Award (Association for Psychological Science) and the 2025 Jim Sidanius Early Career Award (International Society of Political Psychology), and he is among the top 1% most-cited scientists worldwide.

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