• Illia Manzan Laura Géraldine

• Giorgi Nicole

Please Note: This seminar is structured around learning blocks rather than traditional themes. There will be four sessions per week, but only during selected weeks of the semester-check the schedule for exact dates.

In the rapidly evolving digital landscape, communication strategies must contend with entirely new phenomena: synthetic idiocy, AI influencers, and digital fakes. This seminar equips participants with critical frameworks and practical tools to identify, analyze, and strategically engage with the emerging realities of synthetic content.

Participants will explore how AI-generated personas, automated misinformation, and digital fakes—ranging from viral "synthetic idiocy" memes to sophisticated AI-driven influencers—are shaping public opinion, brand reputation, and civic discourse. Through real-world case studies, hands-on analysis, and interactive discussions, the seminar will address questions of trust, authenticity, and credibility in the age of algorithms.

Key areas of the seminar include :

1. AI-Influencers and Virtual personas: Explore what AI-driven personas and influencers are, their defining characteristics, and how they are rising to prominence across industries—from marketing to entertainment and beyond.
    
2. Synthetic Content & New Media Idiocy: Unpack the concept of synthetic content and “new media idiocy,” examining how algorithmic generated content blend with memetic frames and deepfakes to create viral online phenomena—often disrupting public discourse
    
3. Strategic Communication in the Age of AI-Influencers: Investigate the strategic opportunities and (ethical) risks of integrating AI-influencers into strategic communication for commercial purposes. Analyze their impact on branding, authenticity, and public perception, and discuss best practices for navigating a landscape saturated with synthetic content.
    
4. Disruptive Impact of Synthetic Content on Strategic Communication: Analyze how the proliferation of synthetic content—including viral nonsense and deepfakes—reshapes communication strategies and challenges traditional approaches to audience engagement
    
5. Ethical Challenges, Navigating Synthetic Content and AI Agents: Assess the ethical dilemmas facing strategic AI-agent communication today.

The specific objectives of the seminar include:

• Developing the ability to read academic articles critically: Students will learn how to analyze and evaluate scholarly articles critically, considering their validity, relevance, and implications.
   
• Applying theories and concepts to current events: Students will understand how to apply theoretical frameworks and concepts to real-world events and situations, enabling them to gain a deeper understanding of the practical implications of academic theories.
   
• Utilizing theories and concepts for scientific study: Students will learn how to use existing theories and concepts as a basis for conducting scientific research, enabling them to contribute to the field of study through their empirical investigations.
   
• Generating ideas using concepts and theories from articles: Students will learn how to create innovative ideas by leveraging the concepts and theories presented in academic articles, fostering creative and analytical thinking.
   
• Proposing a Study: Students will acquire the skills required to propose a study effectively. This includes defining research questions, selecting suitable methodologies, and articulating the significance and anticipated contributions of their proposed study.
   

By achieving these objectives, students will be equipped with the necessary skills to engage with academic literature critically, apply theoretical frameworks to real-world contexts, and contribute to the body of knowledge through their research endeavors.  To reach this aim, the seminar will be organized into three main blocks: 

• Block 1: Introduction, key concepts, and LAB:  Students will be introduced to the main topics of the seminar and provided the key concepts for approaching the seminar. Participants will explore various theoretical frameworks and practical tools that will be crucial throughout the seminar. Additionally, they will receive an overview of the learning outcomes expected and the critical skills they will develop as they progress through the course.
   
• Block 2: Presentation of readings:  Students will present scientific readings in groups (or individually, depending on the size of the class) as either/or (or both) a presenter and discussant. The readings presented here will be the base upon which they will base their seminar study proposition.
   
• Block 3: Coaching sessions: students will be coached on their seminar proposal work, along with six coaching sessions that alternate between working on theory (on Tuesdays) and method (on Wednesdays) every week. During these sessions, students work independently on their seminar work proposal, with the possibility to ask questions to the instructor. This structured guidance ensures that students can refine their ideas and approaches effectively. The output of these efforts will be a study proposition presented in a video format (proposal video-presentation). 

The seminar will be evaluated using the following criteria:

1. Presentation of readings: 40% of the final grade.
2. Active Participation in Sessions (beyond the presentation): 30% of the final grade.
3. Research Proposal (Video Presentation): 30% of the final grade.

No retake exam

Continuously assessed courses: it will no longer be possible to unregister or withdraw from a course after the registration period (see session calendar on the Faculty website).

If you are writing a seminar paper, you must register separately for the seminar paper. Please register for the seminar paper on MyUnifr under "course registration".