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Research papers on Disinformation and elections

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  2. Political communication in a high-choice media environment: a challenge for democracy?

    Peter Van Aelst, Jesper Strömbäck, Toril Aalberg, et al. · 2017 · Annals of the International Communication Association · 972 citations

    During the last decennia media environments and political communication systems have changed fundamentally. These changes have major ramifications for the political information environments and the extent to which they aid people in becoming informed citizens. Against this background, the purpose of this article is to review research on key changes and trends in political information environments and assess their democratic implications. We will focus on advanced postindustrial democracies and six concerns that are all closely linked to the dissemination and acquisition of political knowledge: (1) declining supply of political information, (2) declining quality of news, (3) increasing media

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  5. Disinformation and social bot operations in the run up to the 2017 French presidential election

    Emilio Ferrara · 2017 · First Monday · 491 citations

    Recent accounts from researchers, journalists, as well as federal investigators, reached a unanimous conclusion: social media are systematically exploited to manipulate and alter public opinion. Some disinformation campaigns have been coordinated by means of bots, social media accounts controlled by computer scripts that try to disguise themselves as legitimate human users. In this study, we describe one such operation that occurred in the run up to the 2017 French presidential election. We collected a massive Twitter dataset of nearly 17 million posts, posted between 27 April and 7 May 2017 (Election Day). We then set to study the MacronLeaks disinformation campaign: By leveraging a mix of

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  6. Disinformation as Collaborative Work

    Kate Starbird, Ahmer Arif, Tom Wilson · 2019 · Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction · 368 citations

    In this paper, we argue that strategic information operations (e.g. disinformation, political propaganda, and other forms of online manipulation) are a critical concern for CSCW researchers, and that the CSCW community can provide vital insight into understanding how these operations function-by examining them as collaborative "work" within online crowds. First, we provide needed definitions and a framework for conceptualizing strategic information operations, highlighting related literatures and noting historical context. Next, we examine three case studies of online information operations using a sociotechnical lens that draws on CSCW theories and methods to account for the mutual shaping

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  7. A multi-dimensional approach to disinformation : Report of the independent High level Group on fake news and online disinformation

    Marius Buning · 2018 · Cadmus - EUI Research Repository (European University Institute) · 304 citations

    In January 2018, the European Commission set up a highlevel group of experts («the HLEG») to advise on policy initiatives to counter fake news and disinformation spread online. The HLEG consisted of 39 members and was chaired by Prof. Dr. Madeleine de Cock Buning. Its members had different backgrounds, including academia and journalism, written press and broadcasting organizations, online platforms as well as civil society and fact-checking organizations. The HLEG’s tasks were to advise the Commission on all issues arising in the context of false information spread across traditional and social media and on possible ways to cope with its social and political consequences. The main deliverabl

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  8. The Global Disinformation Order: 2019 Global Inventory of Organised Social Media Manipulation

    Samantha Bradshaw, Philip N. Howard · 2019 · Lincoln (University of Nebraska) · 303 citations

    Executive Summary Over the past three years, we have monitored the global organization of social media manipulation by governments and political parties. Our 2019 report analyses the trends of computational propaganda and the evolving tools, capacities, strategies, and resources. 1. Evidence of organized social media manipulation campaigns which have taken place in 70 countries, up from 48 countries in 2018 and 28 countries in 2017. In each country, there is at least one political party or government agency using social media to shape public attitudes domestically. 2.Social media has become co-opted by many authoritarian regimes. In 26 countries, computational propaganda is being used as a t

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  9. Visual Mis- and Disinformation, Social Media, and Democracy

    Viorela Dan, Britt Paris, Joan Donovan, et al. · 2021 · Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly · 291 citations

    Over the last five years, widespread concern about the effects of social media on democracy has led to an explosion in research from different disciplines and corners of academia. This book is the first of its kind to take stock of this emerging multi-disciplinary field by synthesizing what we know, identifying what we do not know and obstacles to future research, and charting a course for the future inquiry. Chapters by leading scholars cover major topics – from disinformation to hate speech to political advertising – and situate recent developments in the context of key policy questions. In addition, the book canvasses existing reform proposals in order to address widely perceived threats

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  11. The European Union’s Governance Approach to Tackling Disinformation – protection of democracy, foreign influence, and the quest for digital sovereignty

    Matthias Kachelmann, Wulf Reiners · 2023 · L'Europe en Formation · 7 citations

    Cet article présente une vue d’ensemble des caractéristiques de la désinformation à l’ère numérique, décrit l’évolution des efforts déployés par l’UE pour lutter contre la désinformation et fournit une analyse globale de l’approche de sa gouvernance en termes de politiques, d’acteurs et d’instruments politiques. Sur cette base, nous analysons sa compatibilité avec la quête de souveraineté numérique de l’UE. Les principales conclusions sont que l’UE a maintenu une approche particulièrement stable en combinant des instruments souples et fermes dans un cadre de corégulation qui implique des acteurs privés et publics. Nous concluons que l’interaction entre la nature de la désinformation, la conf

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  12. Crowddoing and crowdfunding democracy: Innovative strategies for countering foreign disinformation in Central and Eastern Europe

    Shane Markowitz · 2023 · New Perspectives · 5 citations

    Central and Eastern Europe has become a ripe target for disinformation and malign narratives propagated by foreign actors. A deluge of propaganda deployed by hostile states is aimed at polarizing societies, undermining the decision-making capabilities of governments, and influencing public policy. Against the backdrop of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the stakes are enormous. Heeding research on debunking and pre-bunking strategies recognizing the limitations and potential of these approaches in inoculating populations against disinformation, this paper examines how several tactics deployed in the CEE region can both speak to and draw from this literature. While certain segments of CEE popul

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  13. Digital Democracy and Disinformation: The European Approach to Disinformation on Social Media in the Case of 2019 European Parliament Elections

    Dawid Aristotelis Fusiek, Angeliki Elli Stougiannou, Theoharris William Efthymiou-Egleton · 2022 · Journal of Politics and Ethics in New Technologies and AI · 2 citations

    This policy paper offers a brief overview of the hazards for digital democracy stemming from AI and digital tools and how the EU tackled online disinformation social media ahead of the 2019 European Parliament elections. The advent and introduction of social media into the political sphere has had a profound and substantial effect on Europe’s electoral processes affecting both voting behavior and the underlying factors that influence it. Whereas malicious actors often participating in disinformation have led to growing calls for reforms, this phenomenon has been most pronounced in the 2019 European parliament elections which saw an unprecedented reliance on digital media within the political

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  14. The impact of disinformation generated by AI on democracy case studies: the US presidential elections in 2016 & 2024

    Nourhan Tosson Ibrahim, Nada Adel Attia · 2026 · Review of Economics and Political Science · 2 citations

    Purpose The paper studies the impact of disinformation generated by AI on democracy and it takes the US presidential elections in 2016 and 2024 as case studies. Design/methodology/approach The paper depended on analyzing three concepts in order to formulate a theoretical framework, which are “Democracy”, “Artificial Intelligence” and “Disinformation”. The study also used the comparative case study method in order to reach the similarities and differences that could be used to test the study's hypothesis. Findings

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  16. MEDIA, DISINFORMATION AND DEMOCRACY: how the media influence presidential elections in Brazil

    Fabíola Mendonça · 2020 · Revista Observatório

    This article aims to analyze the coverage of Brazilian media in the presidential elections held in the country after democratization, starting with 1989 and ending with 2018. The study was based on reflections on disinformation, manipulation, fake news and democracy, from the perspective of authors such as Serrano (2008; 2010), Abramo (2003), Ramonet (2007), Luhmann (2005), Mello (2020), Bucci (2019), Bobbio (2006) and Casara (2018). The research shows that historically the media tries to interfere in the election results, using strategies of manipulation and misrepresentation of the facts, which weakens the democratic system.

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  17. Contesting democracy in the digital age: Disinformation, hate speech, and technology-enabled security threats during Kenya’s 2022 general elections

    Peter Kipng’eno Kirui · 2026 · African Journal of Empirical Research

    Social media use during elections has laid bare the opportunities and risks it portends for democracy and peace, especially for many consolidating democracies in Africa, such as Kenya. While digital democracy, defined as “the use of digital media in political and governance processes” has expanded the democratic space through increased participation, the digital space has also been used to spread disinformation and hate messages and have polarized populations and exacerbate the potential for conflict, particularly in charged political processes like elections. Interrogating Kenya’s 2022 General Election, this article aims at unpacking digital democracy as a tool that could threaten peace pri

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