But Google says so! The case for why we need a new kind of literacy

We warmly welcome Eni Mustafaraj, Assistant Professor of Computer Science at Wellesley, who will join us for an evening discussion: But Google says so! The case for why we need a new kind of literacy.

We are constantly googling everything and everyone and many people believe that what shows up at the top of Google search results is vetted by Google for accuracy. But that is far from the truth. Algorithms are the new gatekeepers of information and there are many ways to fool them. This is why we need a new kind of literacy on how the Web, search engines, and algorithms work, to remain truly informed citizens at a time of invisible informational warfare.

We'll start at 6:30pm with drinks and networking; the talk will commence at 7:00pm and will be followed by more drinks and networking. We'll end by 8:15.

The talk is £5 for Wellesley alums and is FREE for students; we ask guests to pay £10 toward our costs.

The Wellesley Club UK will also host a small dinner with Professor Mustafaraj shortly after the lecture. This will also take place at the Eight Club. We have 16 places available; the cost of the meal will be £45. If you'd like to join the dinner, please sign up here, and choose a starter and main course in the order form. If you are a junior and can't afford the dinner ticket costs, please contact us to request a subsidy from an alum.

We hope to see you on May 7th!

The Wellesley Club UK Board

Professor Mustafaraj Bio:

Prof. Eni Mustafaraj joined Wellesley in 2008 first as a visiting scholar, then as a Hess Fellow and since 2014 as an Assistant Professor of Computer Science. She teaches various CS courses, among them Computer Programming, Artificial Intelligence, as well as Data Science. She has founded the Wellesley Cred Lab and with a large group of Wellesley undergraduates conducts research on online credibility and ways to fight misinformation on the Web.

For more information, please see here.

The Club continues to use its “CHOOSE YOUR OWN DUES” plan. (For some guidance, the range is normally between £5 and £50). All funds go directly towards the Club’s events such as Thanksgiving, communications, lectures, etc. Without your contribution through dues, we'd be unable to put on important events such as this one, or the Thanksgiving dinner. Please consider paying something toward annual dues when you register for this event. Thank you!