Digital marketing students at TUS’s Athlone campus swapped the lecture hall for the newsfeed, joining forces with social media influencers to take on one of the biggest challenges of the digital age: misinformation.
Hack the Feed, a collaboration with Grace Roche and Lola Gonzalez from Momentum and Memory Makers EU-funded project, explored human rights advocacy, misinformation, and historical remembrance through a series of talks and hands-on activities.
The workshop featured guest speaker Deborah Miranda, a multimedia communications and human rights storyteller who previously served as a Senior Communications Specialist with the United Nations. Deborah shared insights on digital influence and the power of storytelling in human rights, emphasising the need to protect victims while still communicating with impact.
Denise Callan of the ARENAS the Horizon Europe-funded programme also addressed participants, examining the extremist narratives that influence political and social life across Europe. She highlighted how these narratives shape public discourse, particularly on science, gender, and national identity, and why understanding their impact is key to countering them.
Putting theory into practice, students and influencers then collaborated to develop social media content on behalf of organisations such as government bodies, charities and NGOs, crafting responses to extreme and political content online.
Hosting the workshop, Dr Aisling Keenan Gaylard Lecturer and Researcher TUS, said: “As fake news and extreme content continue to spread across social media, organisations need people who can cut through the noise. By equipping our digital marketing students to spot false content, respond appropriately and correct the narrative through clear, meaningful communication, we are preparing graduates for one of the most in-demand skill sets in the industry today.”
She continued: “Involving social media influencers in the Hack the Feed workshop allows our students to learn from those who navigate the algorithm every day. It also helps carry the message of responsible communication to a much wider audience, amplifying the fight against misinformation well beyond the classroom.”