Webinar by Daria Arkhipova – The Semiotics of Influencers.

By Daria Arkhipova.

Abstract:

In modern society, digital environments have a profound influence on users’ practices and have become
deeply ingrained in daily life. Digitally mediated communication has become increasingly prevalent,
particularly on Social Media platforms where Artificial Intelligence (AI) recommendation systems are
commonly employed. Designers and users heavily rely on algorithmically mediated content as both a
product and producer of many social narratives. AI recommendations provide users with continuous
stimuli that incentivise online engagement, leading to potential effects on cognitive, axiological, emotive
and pragmatic dimensions. At the same time, users seek to engage with the algorithms as a tool to
increase their digital representation and satisfy their own needs. This research investigates the
communication mechanisms involved in Human-Computer interactions, specifically focusing on the
aforementioned dimensions. The revision of Social Media environments with AI agents is achieved by
integrating data-driven cognitive science methodologies and the interpretive tools of cultural psychology and semiotics. The theoretical contributions are supported by comparative analysis of the data collected during digital ethnography and semi-structured interviews collected in Italy, Estonia and the Netherlands among Social media users aged 18-65 y.o. This multidisciplinary research aims to bridge the knowledge from neuroscience and psychology, semiotics and biosemiotics to create a bottom-up approach and offer valuable insights into a better understanding of how our society changes along with the integration of AI tools into daily practices.

PANEL:

Jean-Guy Meunier (Nice)

Marcel Danesi (Toronto)

Chris Arning (London)

Roman Esqueda (Mexico)

Laura Oswald (Washington DC)

Gabriele Aroni (Manchester)

Auli Viidalepp (Tartu)

MODERATOR:

Monika Rector (Rio de Janeiro)

BIO:

Daria Arkhipova is a PhD student at University of Turin, Italy, and University of Tartu, Estonia. In her
research, she focused on how Artificial Intelligence can influence human decision-making, in particular,
how AI recommendations used on Social media change individual, social and cultural interpretations and practices. This research presents a holistic methodology to provide a comparative analysis between users in three EU countries: Italy, Estonia and the Netherlands.
She holds a MA degree in Semiotics from University of Tartu, Estonia, and a degree in Journalism from
Voronezh State University, Russia. She is also a specialist in Applied semiotics and branding,
collaborating with medium-to-large businesses.