In person icon Panel: Digital Images, Imaginaries, and the Shaping of Public Discourse and Attitudes

Abstract

This panel focuses on how digital images and visual narratives shape political imaginaries, public attitudes, and governance in both authoritarian and democratic contexts. It investigates how visual media, such as propaganda cartoons, memes, and other digital imagery, are used to construct political authority, foster ideological conformity, and reinforce state power. At the same time, the panel highlights how these visual tools are leveraged by citizens and movements to resist control, express dissent, and create alternative narratives. Through cross-regional case studies, the presentations demonstrate how images evoke emotional responses, frame political discourse, and influence perceptions of legitimacy, surveillance, and democratic participation. The panel emphasizes the growing role of multimodal media in political communication and the need to critically engage with their impact on both state-driven narratives and grassroots resistance.

Title	Details
Cyber Regimes and Contenting Narratives: Democratic Liberalism, Surveillance Capitalism, and Digital Authoritarianism	View Paper Details
The Iatrogenic Problem of AI Governance	View Paper Details
Drawing the Line: Super Bigote and the Function of Cartoons in Venezuelan Propaganda	View Paper Details
From Techno-Authoritarian to Techno-Democratic Imaginaries: A Democratic Curve?	View Paper Details
Heroes and Monsters of the Nation: Digital Authoritarianism and Memetic Violence on the Latin American Far Right	View Paper Details