Theme 5: Propaganda, Disinformation, and Digital Threats (Week 12 and 14)

Misinformation

False information spread unintentionally

Disinformation

False or misleading information spread intentionally to destabilize institutions.

Digital astroturfing

Manufactured, deceptive and strategic top-down activity on the Internet initiated by political actors that mimics bottom-up activity by autonomous individuals.

Genuine grassroot

Authentic citizen mobilization driven by shared concerns

The Trust Paradox v. Trust in the Government

• Trust usually helps society function, but it can be exploited by bad actors and weaponized

• Blind trust in political actors = increase vulnerability

• Appropriate skepticism may be protective.

• Emotional and political motivations override rational evaluation; information is processed to reach conclusions we want to reach.

• Social identity matters more than factual accuracy in sharing decisions; disinformation corrupts the “marketplace of ideas” where truth should emerge

Three Core Elements of Digital Astroturfing Repertoire

• Tools (sock, puppets, click farms, paid supporters)

• Venues (social media platforms, news website comment sections, independent websites)

• Actions (creating content via posts and comments)

Traditional Astroturf

Corporate/elite sponsored campaigns disguised as grasroots

Why is it hard to study digital astroturfing

• Secrecy

• Selection bias

• Rapid evolution

• Scale

• Sophistication

Fundamental Tensions of DA

• Scope vs. depth

• Access vs. ethics

• Timeliness vs. rigor

• Internal vs. external validity

Research Limitations on Democratic Knowledge

• Policymakers need to know real vs. manufactured opinions

• Citizens need to know when they’re being manipulated

Research Limitations on Democratic Policy Implication

• Should we regulate something we can not reliably measure?

• Who should be responsible for detection and disclosure?

Key Takeaways for DA

• What we can’t measure, we can’t fully understand or address

• Research limitations have real consequences for governance

• An interdisciplinary approach may be beneficial