A disclaimer: Do not do not take this opinion piece too seriously. If you read it, then garnish it with a with a grain of sarcasm...
The Tetris Model of Character Assassination
By Sergei A. Samoilenko Character assassination comes in many shapes and forms. Character attacks vary in their complexity across time and cultures at interpersonal, intergroup, and international levels. The traditional view of CA, grounded in social psychology, sees a CA event in terms of cause-and-effect relations between the attacker and the target. Their relationship is... Continue Reading →
Living in a Fishbowl of Big Data: Insights for CA Research
Internet companies and intelligence agencies now have access to large amounts of personal data including compromising materials that can be potentially used for blackmailing the next generation of politicians and presidents.
On #MeToo and Brandjacking of Social Movement Campaigns
Clearly, a brandjacked and counterfeited social cause is a serious issue. When pinpointing and punishing a few guilty scapegoats is generally prescribed as a solution to a complex issue, there is less urgency to promote real structural changes. By trivializing the campaign, multiple influencers with vested interests stonewall the necessary development of numerous matters such as women’s autonomy, broken legal systems, and institutionalized structural violence in Hollywood.
Responding to Misinformation and Character Assassination in Science
By Sergei Samoilenko Last week I had a chance to discuss several issues related to character attacks against scientists with my colleagues at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). In April 2017, thousands of scientists took to the streets in Washington, D.C. and more than 600 other cities worldwide in a unanimous... Continue Reading →