Disinformation as a Threat to Deliberative Democracy

These flashcards cover key concepts related to the impact of disinformation on democracy and deliberative communication as discussed in the lecture notes.

Disinformation

Intentionally false or deceptive communication used to advance the aims of its creators or disseminators at the expense of others.

Deliberative Democracy

A normative theory of democratic legitimacy based on the idea that those affected by a collective decision have the right, opportunity, and capacity to participate in consequential deliberation about the content of decisions.

Epistemic Function

A function of deliberative systems that promotes the likelihood that opinions and decisions will be informed by facts and logic.

Corrosive Falsehoods

False claims spread in disinformation campaigns that promote misperceptions and undermine sources of higher epistemic quality.

Moral Denigration

The act of insulting or criticizing particular individuals or groups, often used in disinformation campaigns to stoke fear and animosity.

Techno-Affective Polarization

The mutually reinforcing interactions between affective polarization and social media behavior, which decrease respect between political groups.

Unjustified Inclusion

The insertion of actors who lack normative entitlements to participate in democratic discussions, often facilitated by disinformation techniques.

Pervasive Inauthenticity

A systemic concern in democratic discourse characterized by the belief that significant contributors to discussions may not be authentic human beings.

Algorithmic Gatekeeping

A method used by social media platforms through algorithms that determines the visibility of content and shapes the user experience.

Meta-Deliberation

The ability of a deliberative system to identify its own shortcomings and further reform itself.