Abstract
The intersections of power and conspiracy rhetorics represent complexities for scholars who seek to understand social engagement and its various discursive properties. Our study addresses these complexities through the lens of facial recognition technology (FRT), analyzing how conversations on the platform X (formerly Twitter) surrounding FRT mirror discourse in other places that have been called conspiracy theories. By gathering Tweets that contain discourse about FRT and coding them using features synthesized from previous literature, we work to understand the ways that populations express valid feelings of disenfranchisement through traditionally conspiratorial rhetorical tropes. Our results highlight the importance of traditionally conspiratorial discursive features as legitimate means of critiquing powerful but obfuscated technologies and their roles in social systems. This research aims to provoke thought in the field of conspiracy by challenging scholars to consider what they would call a conspiracy theory and look deeper to see what features make it one.
Recommended Citation
Courtois, Kira, Rachel Schneider, and Carleigh Davis. "In the Eye of AI: Conspiracies of Facial Recognition Software." Proceedings of the 42nd ACM International Conference on Design of Communication, SIGDOC 2024, Association for Computing Machinery, 2024, pp.72-75.
The definitive version is available at https://doi.org/10.1145/3641237.3691654
Department(s)
English and Technical Communication
Publication Status
Open Access
Keywords and Phrases
conspiracy; conspiracy theory; Facial Recognition Technology
Document Type
Article - Conference proceedings
Document Version
Citation
File Type
text
Language(s)
English
Rights
© 2025 Association for Computing Machinery, All rights reserved.
Publication Date
28 Oct 2024
Included in
English Language and Literature Commons, Rhetoric and Composition Commons, Speech and Rhetorical Studies Commons