About 
Recently, many researchers from various disciplines (computer science, psychology, sociology, politics, media communication, etc.) addressed the problem of the spread of inauthentic information in cyberspace from different perspectives (content, environment, interventions, etc.). Several approaches and tools have been proposed but, while they have been successful at mitigating the issue, it is evident from the daily news that additional work is needed to enable citizens and institutions to live safely and securely in an inauthentic world.

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The UNMASKED project will develop and apply a synergy of devised theatrical performances and scientific methods rooted in computer science, human-computer interaction, cybersecurity, AI and psychology to provide a novel approach to tackle the problem of inauthenticity in cyberspace. The main idea of UNMASKED is that we can develop theatre as a transdisciplinary and socio- technical research space – a lab (The Theatre of Inauthenticity Lab - ToIL) – and use this as a mechanism to identify inauthenticity, unmask (or expose) inauthenticity, elicit an appreciation of inauthenticity, understand how inauthenticity is disseminated, and combat inauthenticity when used to harm, deceive and create conflict or tension. We will develop and stage devised theatre performances, interacting with theatre-makers expert in devised theatre, multidisciplinary researchers, and tech industries to engage people and have a platform to explore inauthenticity in cyberspace. The Lab will also provide a means to reason about how to create and consume reliable inauthenticity.

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​Objectives
UNMASKED does not aim to replace existing approaches and tools (and those developed in the context of SPRITE+), but complement them with an alternative, trans-disciplinary research strategy that crosses disciplinary boundaries to create a holistic approach by carrying out collaborative research in computer science, arts & humanities and psychology to focus on novel understandings and awareness raising and nudging methods. This project will provide the basis, in UNMASKED phase 2, of a full-fledged socio-technical approach to help make the cyberspace safe and secure against the various threats of inauthenticity.

 

The audience of a theatrical performance fleetingly but consciously suspend disbelief until the performance’s end, when they resume belief and return to reality, processing what they experienced. In cyberspace, instead, people might believe and disseminate inauthentic information even when abundant evidence is provided to prove that that information is indeed inauthentic.

UNMASKED aims to investigate whether and how the fleeting inauthenticity of theatrical performances can help mitigate the problem of persistent online inauthenticity. To that end, UNMASKED will explore the following overall objectives:

1. Provide evidence that theatre can be used as an intervention in the context of inauthenticity.

2. Provide an initial set of methods & resources that can be shared and built upon, by the UNMASKED team & by other researchers.

3. Engage with different stakeholders to establish a transdisciplinary network to build the path to a larger project.

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Investigators 
Luca Viganò - King's College London
Alan Chamberlain - University of Nottingham 
Maria Limniou - University of Liverpool

Pejman Saeghe - University of Strathclyde

Mark Springett - Middlesex University
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