Alan Jagolinzer
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Alan Jagolinzer
@jagolinzer.bsky.social
13K followers 3K following 2.2K posts
Professor of Financial Accounting, Vice Dean of Programmes, co-Director, Cambridge Centre for Financial Reporting & Accountability, University of Cambridge

Research in: IFRS, GAAP, governance, information risks & harms
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jagolinzer.bsky.social
A new simple framework for potential disinformation assessments on narratives.

I think some anti-censorship sentiment could be better articulated as the fundamental concerns noted in red regarding trust the assessment process.
Disinformation assessment framework and issues from Prof Alan Jagolinzer, University of Cambridge, 21 Nov 2025. The structural elements to a narrative are the actors or messengers, their incentives and the outcomes from the narrative reaching its audience and the narratives themselves.The assessments include:Who is messaging?Why did they choose this audience?Why did they choose these communication channels?What do they get out of this?Are there any harms to the audience?Was the message sent with clear intentions or objectives?Are the narratives accurate?Are the narratives misleading?One major concern that overlays these assessments relates to who has assessment rights and trust. Related questions include:Who has the authority to make these assessments?Does the public trust the assessors?
November 21, 2025 at 1:32 PM
jagolinzer.bsky.social
Cambridge wildlife
November 21, 2025 at 7:23 AM
jagolinzer.bsky.social
From the Cambridge News.

Parasocial is the word of the year.

We will be discussing these relationships at the next Cambridge Disinformation Summit.
November 18, 2025 at 5:59 PM
jagolinzer.bsky.social
The Cambridge Disinformation Summit call for papers has now closed.
The Call for Papers has now closed. Thank you to the authors who submitted almost 90 papers for the committee's consideration. Papers arrived from all over the globe and from across many disciplines. Several papers were written by transdisciplinary teams and cover many different themes that could inform potential systemic risks. No submissions appear to promote a political agenda for "censorship," regardless of region of origin. This collective effort helps illustrate the strength of the global research community's investment in trying to assess the nature of potential systemic issues from today's information and generative technologies. We hope to have papers selected by the end of the year. We will contact the authors of the outcome of the selection process shortly thereafter. We will wait to disclose papers and speakers until very close to the events to enhance event security.
November 16, 2025 at 3:34 PM
jagolinzer.bsky.social
I sense that the current information pollution problem manifests from a number of higher order problems. Here is a partial list.

Four meta problems that amplify the effects of disinformation.

My remarks to U.S. & UK lawmakers in May.

Full thoughts here: www.linkedin.com/pulse/addres...
Four meta problems that amplify the potential harms from disinformation. My opening comments to a delegation of members of U.S. Congress and UK Parliament at the University of Cambridge, Sunday 11 May 2025. --A transnational organized crime syndicate (mafia state) problem --A monopolistic tech industry problem --A genuine grievance problem --A cowardice problem It is, in my opinion, the perfect storm to support the darkest forces to overturn decades of infrastructure that was built for a reason. These problems have made too many of us turn into cowards and we will never solve the problems without courage to do so.
November 13, 2025 at 8:17 AM
jagolinzer.bsky.social
Final call for papers for the 2026 Cambridge Disinformation Summit.

Research on systemic risks from technology that affects information streams or the amplification or monetization of disinformation

Please see the Call for Papers link at the Summit’s website.

www.jbs.cam.ac.uk/events/cambr...
November 13, 2025 at 6:50 AM
jagolinzer.bsky.social
One week remaining for the Call for Papers for the 2026 University of Cambridge Disinformation Summit

Research on systemic risks from technology that affects information streams or the amplification or monetization of disinformation

www.jbs.cam.ac.uk/events/cambr...
One week remaining to submit papers for consideration for the 2026 Cambridge Disinformation Summit, 8-10 April, University of Cambridge, UK. Research on systemic risks from technology that affects information streams or the amplification or monetization of disinformation Potential research focus might include (but is not limited to) the effects on global systemic economic, health, environmental, migration, human rights or human conflict risk from: --social media message feed algorithms that amplify disinformation or suppress evidence-based narratives --search advertising algorithms that incentivize expanded reach of disinformation or suppression of evidence-based narratives --artificial intelligence information errors, bias, or corruption --crypto and meme asset trading, based on disinformation or to facilitate laundering --psychological addiction or radicalization inspired by artificially created or algorithmically amplified disinformation There are no formal formatting or length requirements, as we understand each author set is targeting different publication outlets. However, we do require full papers and will not consider abstracts or proposals. For more information about how to submit, please reference the Call for Papers tab at the website:
November 8, 2025 at 12:44 PM
jagolinzer.bsky.social
Final two weeks to submit your paper for the 2026 University of Cambridge Disinformation Summit, 8-10 April.

For more information, please read the Call for Papers tab at the website:

www.jbs.cam.ac.uk/events/cambr...
November 3, 2025 at 5:44 AM
jagolinzer.bsky.social
The Exploitation of Climate
Chaos, Confusion and Change

Jodie Wrigley, 2024
International Centre for Counter-Terrorism

Paper link: icct.nl/sites/defaul...
October 31, 2025 at 6:14 AM
jagolinzer.bsky.social
From my talk to UK and U.S. lawmakers a few months ago:

The four "meta" problems that need to be addressed.

Full discussion at this link: www.linkedin.com/pulse/addres...
Four meta problems that amplify the effects of disinformation We have: a transnational organized crime syndicate (or mafia state) problem, many of which have taken over nation states and are colluding to leverage manipulative influence campaigns and crypto financing to undermine democratic and accountability institutions globally. I sense they have an insatiable appetite for raw dominance power and that there are very few months remaining before they usurp our collective power and influence, given their heightened aggressiveness, without serious intervention, a monopolistic tech industry problem where a small set of massively wealthy institutions and executives addict millions, collect and monetize our data about what we think, what we buy, where we are, and how we feel, and then use that money and data to stoke deep emotional divides and even deeper addictions to our in-groups and our phone screens, a perceived and radicalized grievance problem where members of society cannot find pathways to socially and financially elevate. There is no clear path anymore to “the American dream," or equivalent, and that makes millions of people susceptible to populist and extremist narratives that corrode trust in everyone in this room and all the institutions we rely on. It also makes these people susceptible to radicalization which is a force multiplier that leads to the next problem, which is a cowardice problem where people like you and me, who have sworn oaths to uphold existing laws, have become unwilling to intervene and prevent blatant criminal actions because we fear losing status, losing money, being harassed, or emotional and physical abuse to ourselves or our families.
October 27, 2025 at 9:53 AM
jagolinzer.bsky.social
Interesting new paper from Sardor Boratov, University of Warsaw.

Weaponizing Empathy: A New Paradigm for Negotiating with Authoritarian Regimes

Paper available at: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
The key takeaway is that authoritarian behavior cannot be shifted without understanding this emotional world. To ignore the psychological ecosystem of fear, loyalty, and identity is to misinterpret the meaning of money, influence, and victory for autocrats. Pressure that appears rational to Western policymakers may feel existential to authoritarian leaders; condemnation intended to shame may instead affirm their narrative of siege; sanctions meant to weaken may consolidate loyalty. Unless diplomats learn to engage these regimes on their own emotional terrain—acknowledging status concerns, offering symbolic victories, and reframing narratives—efforts at transformation will continue to fail. The resilience of authoritarianism lies not only in institutions or coercive power but in its mastery of perception and psychology. To influence authoritarian leaders, one must first understand the emotional architectures within which they operate.
October 26, 2025 at 7:19 AM
jagolinzer.bsky.social
Some fundamental ideas that might help preserve science and evidence-based inference in the current threat environment.

Video link here: youtu.be/Qyaritn260c
Professor Alan Jagolinzer on urgent steps that can enhance scientific resilience to threats • Backup, store offline, and widely disseminate data and writings. • Work more with globally dispersed colleagues. • Mentor more junior colleagues. • Communicate inferences across multiple venues—beyond publishing in academic journals. This would include publishing short, accessible, and relatable video content on popular media platforms.
October 25, 2025 at 10:11 AM
jagolinzer.bsky.social
Call for papers for the 2026 Cambridge Disinformation Summit.

www.jbs.cam.ac.uk/events/cambr...
October 17, 2025 at 3:27 AM
jagolinzer.bsky.social
“I keep waiting for a government to build a public interest stack.”

@mariaressa.bsky.social in European Parliament.

@openmarkets.bsky.social
@article19.bsky.social
October 16, 2025 at 2:01 PM
jagolinzer.bsky.social
Maria Ressa at European Parliament

@openmarkets.bsky.social
@article19.bsky.social
October 16, 2025 at 1:55 PM
jagolinzer.bsky.social
“We’ve lost agency.”

“Information integrity is the core.”

Maria Ressa

@openmarkets.bsky.social
@article19.bsky.social
October 16, 2025 at 1:31 PM
jagolinzer.bsky.social
AI, Big Tech and the Future of Media Freedom – A Conversation with Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Maria Ressa

Livestream starts soon:

m.youtube.com/c/OpenMarket...

@openmarkets.bsky.social
@article19.bsky.social
October 16, 2025 at 11:33 AM
jagolinzer.bsky.social
I opened my Cambridge MBA financial reporting and analysis course with this fundamental message to my students, who are the global business and policy leaders of tomorrow:
Corrupted information (with downstream effects on cognition and social fabric) is the most important problem I sense your generation will face. Your success in the future will likely require advocacy to improve information integrity and rebuild common trust.
October 14, 2025 at 5:24 AM
jagolinzer.bsky.social
In his book "Nexus," Yuval Noah Harari notes that people connect through stories that are often fictional or embellished.

www.ynharari.com/book/nexus/
In his book "Nexus," Yuval Noah Harari notes that people connect through stories that are often fictional or embellished. "Information sometimes represents reality, and sometimes doesn't. But it always connects. This is its fundamental characteristic. Therefore, when examining the role of information in history, although it sometimes makes sense to ask 'How well does it represent reality? Is it true or false?' often the more crucial questions are 'How well does it connect people? What new network does it create?'"
October 13, 2025 at 4:42 AM
jagolinzer.bsky.social
The Economics of Attention

Loewenstein and Wojtowicz (2025)

Very interesting new paper.

www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=...
The Economics of Attention George Loewenstein Zachary Wojtowicz Journal of Economic Literature vol. 63, no. 3, September 2025 Attention is an important resource in the modern economy and plays an increasingly prominent role in economic analysis. We summarize research on attention from both psychology and economics with a particular emphasis on its capacity to explain documented violations of classical economic theory. We also identify promising new directions for research, including attention-based utility, the recent proliferation of attentional externalities introduced by digital technology, the potential impact of artificial intelligence on the economics of attention, and the significant role that boredom, curiosity, and other motivational states play in determining how people allocate attention.
October 12, 2025 at 5:56 PM
jagolinzer.bsky.social
A list of highly recommended readings to help understand today’s geopolitical and social-cultural environment.

@anneapplebaum.bsky.social
@ruthbenghiat.bsky.social
@moisesnaim.bsky.social
@marietjeschaake.bsky.social
@yuvalharari.bsky.social
@brianklaas.bsky.social
Recommended readings: —Anne Appelbaum’s “Autocracy Inc.” to understand how organized crime syndicates have overtaken governments and are collaborating globally with aligned actors —Moises Naim’s “Mafia States,” to understand that organized crime syndicates too frequently hijack nation states —Marietje Schaake’s “The Tech Coup,” to understand how tech company leaders are supporting degradation of democratic and accountability institutions Sarah Wynn-Williams’ “Careless People,” to understand the culture at the top of leading social media platforms —Brian Klaas’ “Corruptible,” to understand why there is a disproportionate and natural selection of sociopaths in power around the world because others are often not willing to seek that level of power —Ruth Ben-Ghiat’s “Strongmen,” to understand how authoritarians rise to power, rule with performative cruelty, and eventually fall —Yuval Noah Harari’s “Nexus,” to understand how large human movements are often fueled by fictional or embellished stories —Heinz Kohut (1972)’s “Thoughts on Narcissism and Narcissistic Rage,” to understand the insatiable need for narcissistic supply and narcissistic revenge that too often fuels public policy decisions —Tilo Hartmann (2016)’s “Parasocial interaction, parasocial relationships, and well-being,” to understand the cognitive influence effects of pseudo-intimate relationships and how these can potentially be exploitative
October 11, 2025 at 7:19 AM
jagolinzer.bsky.social
From @ruthbenghiat.bsky.social’s book Strongmen.

Tools of Rule
October 10, 2025 at 5:24 AM
jagolinzer.bsky.social
Item six from @ruthbenghiat.bsky.social’s book Strongmen.
October 10, 2025 at 5:22 AM
jagolinzer.bsky.social
Kohut (1972)

mindsplain.com/wp-content/u...
October 10, 2025 at 3:13 AM
jagolinzer.bsky.social
I recently discussed how these relationships form. Some can offer support, but they can also be manipulative and draw users away from engaging in human interaction, altering cognition with downstream negative effects on social community.
October 9, 2025 at 5:48 AM