ISSUE BRIEF: HOW DISINFORMATION IMPACTS POLITICS AND PUBLICS

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and concepts from the lecture notes on disinformation and its political impact.

Disinformation

The use of half-truths and non-rational arguments to manipulate public opinion for political objectives; can be proactive or reactive and shape the information environment.

Hybrid warfare

A framework in which disinformation is used to degrade trust in media and institutions and to amplify social division and fear.

Information space / information environment

The public sphere and digital ecosystem where individuals form beliefs and make decisions, shaped by disinformation and political economy.

Reactive disinformation

Disinformation used in response to events, often flooding the information space with conflicting explanations to drown out discussion.

Bots

Automated online accounts that generate or amplify posts to shape political conversation.

Trolls

Harassment or distraction by active accounts (often automated) that push certain narratives and suppress alternative voices.

Fifty-cent party

Beijing’s strategy of employing online posters to create the appearance of grassroots support; reportedly around two million individuals producing hundreds of millions of posts.

Astroturf

Disinformation tactic designed to simulate spontaneous, popular support for a political cause or position.

Sock puppet accounts

Accounts that are partly automated and partly controlled by humans to disguise coordinated activity.

Cyborg accounts

Disinformation actors that are partially automated and partially human, blending automation with manipulation.

Proactive disinformation

Deliberate creation of false or misleading information to move audiences to action and influence political events, often leveraging existing divides.

Demand side of the challenge

The aspect focused on audience needs and incentives that disinformation campaigns exploit.

Motivated reasoning

Cognitive bias where people interpret information to justify their preexisting beliefs, reducing openness to fact-checking.

Gatekeepers

Traditional media and institutions that filter information; their influence can be diminished by social media and disinformation.

Truth decay

Decline in trust in objective sources of information due to competing narratives and doubt about facts.

Lisa case (Germany, 2016)

False story spread by Russian state media alleging migrant rape, used to inflame anti-migrant sentiment and spark protests.

Hate speech in disinformation

Propagation of xenophobic or extremist content that promotes discrimination or violence as part of disinformation campaigns.

Foreign-sourced disinformation

Disinformation originating from foreign governments or actors intended to influence elections or public opinion abroad.

Disinformation in elections

Efforts to influence voters or turnout using deceptive information, often via domestic actors, bots, and targeted ads.

Domestic vs. foreign disinformation

Distinction between disinformation produced within a country versus by foreign actors seeking to influence that country’s politics.