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Social Sciences
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Disinformation and Misinformation in the New Media Landscape
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Disinformation and Misinformation in the New Media Landscape

A special issue of Social Sciences (ISSN 2076-0760).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 March 2025 | Viewed by 17299

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Chapman Rackaway

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Political Science, Radford University, Radford, VA 24142, USA
Interests: political communication; online political communication; campaign web strategy; misinformation; disinformation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The transition to a world of always-connected mobile communication has radically transformed the landscape in which the mass public communicates about their political worlds. The rise of social media as a primary information source and the decline of legacy media have altered consumption patterns. Following those new pathways, we have seen ideologically driven information choice, exacerbated polarization, and the intentional manipulation of social media to deceive the public. Two strands of research extend from this new environment: misinformation, the unintentional spreading of false information; and disinformation, the intentional spreading of false information. The two are areas of great concern for democratic governance and expanding fields of research in political communication.

This Special Issue will cover a wide range of topics related to the rise of misinformation and disinformation. These topics may include but are not limited to how misinformation and disinformation spread via social media, recursive effects of mis- and disinformation on legacy media, patterns of misinformation and disinformation going viral, effects on the mass public, propaganda, social media’s role as a misinformation and disinformation amplifier, information literacy’s relationship to misinformation and disinformation, and the implications of misinformation and disinformation for democracy.

Prof. Dr. Chapman Rackaway
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • misinformation
  • disinformation
  • social media

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Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

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16 pages, 2862 KiB  
Article
When Readers Do Not Fight Falsehood: An Exploration of Factors Influencing the Perceived Realism of False News on International Disputes
by Mingxiao Sui, Yunjuan Luo and Newly Paul
Soc. Sci. 2024, 13(12), 629; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci13120629 - 22 Nov 2024
Viewed by 1079
Abstract
This study examines the effects of misleading news—one type of false information presented by news media in the U.S. and China—in the context of international disputes. Through a web-based survey experiment, we tested how Chinese readers’ perception of false news is affected by [...] Read more.
This study examines the effects of misleading news—one type of false information presented by news media in the U.S. and China—in the context of international disputes. Through a web-based survey experiment, we tested how Chinese readers’ perception of false news is affected by the source of the news, the presence of visual elements, and general trust in mainstream Chinese media and that in mainstream U.S. media, as well as news literacy. Our results suggested false news reported by domestic media was perceived to better represent the reality of the covered issue than news presented by foreign media. This relationship was moderated by readers’ general trust in U.S. media and news literacy, which indicated media literacy training as a possible solution to counteract the effect of the news source. These findings not only advance current scholarship on misinformation by incorporating perspectives from non-Western media systems but also provide both foreign and domestic readers with timely and relevant methods to combat false information. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Disinformation and Misinformation in the New Media Landscape)
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22 pages, 382 KiB  
Article
Narrow Margins and Misinformation: The Impact of Sharing Fake News in Close Contests
by Samuel Rhodes
Soc. Sci. 2024, 13(11), 571; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci13110571 - 24 Oct 2024
Viewed by 1629
Abstract
This study investigates the impact of candidates disseminating fake news on voter behavior and electoral outcomes in highly competitive, partisan races. While the effects of fake news on electoral outcomes have been studied, research has yet to examine the impact of candidates’ strategic [...] Read more.
This study investigates the impact of candidates disseminating fake news on voter behavior and electoral outcomes in highly competitive, partisan races. While the effects of fake news on electoral outcomes have been studied, research has yet to examine the impact of candidates’ strategic use of fake news in elections where it may have the greatest impact—close races. This research explores whether the use of fake news influences voter support, particularly among independent voters, in tightly contested elections. Through a conjoint survey experiment involving participants from Amazon MTurk, this study analyzes how variables such as race competitiveness, perceived risk of alienating independents, and the presence of partisan labels affect voter responses to candidates who spread misinformation. The findings indicate that while the competitiveness of a race does not significantly enhance support for candidates sharing fake news, the presence of partisan labels does. These results suggest that voter behavior in response to fake news is more closely tied to partisan identity than to strategic electoral considerations. This study highlights the complex dynamics of misinformation in electoral contexts and its implications for democratic processes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Disinformation and Misinformation in the New Media Landscape)
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14 pages, 790 KiB  
Article
The Role of Social Media Motivation in Enhancing Social Responsibility
by Islam Habis Mohammad Hatamleh, Rahima Aissani and Raneem Farouq Suleiman Alduwairi
Soc. Sci. 2024, 13(8), 409; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci13080409 - 7 Aug 2024
Viewed by 2166
Abstract
This study explores the impact of social media platforms on enhancing social responsibility, employing a rigorous research framework based on the Uses and Gratifications Theory. We developed and tested a model to investigate how motivations for using social media influence social responsibility. A [...] Read more.
This study explores the impact of social media platforms on enhancing social responsibility, employing a rigorous research framework based on the Uses and Gratifications Theory. We developed and tested a model to investigate how motivations for using social media influence social responsibility. A quantitative methodology was utilized, analyzing data from a sample of 520 participants using SmartPLS 4. The findings reveal various social media motivations—specifically information seeking, information sharing, self-status, social interaction, entertainment, being fashionable, and relaxation—significantly and positively impact social responsibility. The results underscore the constructive role of social media motivations in fostering social responsibility. They also suggest that further investigations into additional dimensions could provide deeper insights into how digital media might be leveraged to benefit society more broadly and enhance the concept of social responsibility. This study contributes to the expanding discourse on digital media’s potential to effect positive societal change. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Disinformation and Misinformation in the New Media Landscape)
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Graphical abstract

19 pages, 349 KiB  
Article
Civic Literacy and Disinformation in Democracies
by Jannie Lilja, Niklas Eklund and Ester Tottie
Soc. Sci. 2024, 13(8), 405; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci13080405 - 31 Jul 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1914 | Correction
Abstract
The aim of this study is to explore civic literacy as an approach to counter disinformation in democracies. From group interviews, we elicit, categorize, and analyze diverse perspectives on disinformation in Sweden, previously upheld as a country with high civic literacy levels. We [...] Read more.
The aim of this study is to explore civic literacy as an approach to counter disinformation in democracies. From group interviews, we elicit, categorize, and analyze diverse perspectives on disinformation in Sweden, previously upheld as a country with high civic literacy levels. We focus on people’s understandings of disinformation, their assessment of their own abilities to discern disinformation, and their ideas about how increased resilience to disinformation could be achieved. Our findings, based on input from 73 interviewees across Sweden, suggest that shared basic knowledge on disinformation is lacking. Moreover, there is a related weak understanding of what constitutes authentic information. Those with low awareness operate on a logic of beliefs, implying that measures to improve factuality and objectivity could not even be aspired for. Still, there are also constituents showing advanced understandings. The majority of respondents call for new measures to strengthen citizen knowledge and skills and generate many proposals to that end. Our results indicate that citizen competence needs to increase considerably to keep up with the rapidly evolving disinformation environment. A concerted drive to boost citizen knowledge and skills, tailored to different constituencies, is needed for the democratic system to work as intended. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Disinformation and Misinformation in the New Media Landscape)
17 pages, 1065 KiB  
Article
Investigating the Effects of Misinformation as Infopathogens: Developing a Model and Thought Experiment
by Roger D. Magarey, Thomas M. Chappell and Kayla Pack Watson
Soc. Sci. 2024, 13(6), 300; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci13060300 - 31 May 2024
Viewed by 1026
Abstract
Previously, it has been shown that transmissible and harmful misinformation can be viewed as pathogenic, potentially contributing to collective social epidemics. In this study, a biological analogy is developed to allow investigative methods that are applied to biological epidemics to be considered for [...] Read more.
Previously, it has been shown that transmissible and harmful misinformation can be viewed as pathogenic, potentially contributing to collective social epidemics. In this study, a biological analogy is developed to allow investigative methods that are applied to biological epidemics to be considered for adaptation to digital and social ones including those associated with misinformation. The model’s components include infopathogens, tropes, cognition, memes, and phenotypes. The model can be used for diagnostic, pathologic, and synoptic/taxonomic study of the spread of misinformation. A thought experiment based on a hypothetical riot is used to understand how disinformation spreads. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Disinformation and Misinformation in the New Media Landscape)
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Other

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2 pages, 167 KiB  
Correction
Correction: Lilja et al. (2024). Civic Literacy and Disinformation in Democracies. Social Sciences 13: 405
by Jannie Lilja, Niklas Eklund and Ester Tottie
Soc. Sci. 2024, 13(9), 471; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci13090471 - 6 Sep 2024
Viewed by 423
Abstract
In the original publication (Lilja et al [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Disinformation and Misinformation in the New Media Landscape)
14 pages, 1880 KiB  
Systematic Review
Information Pandemic: A Critical Review of Disinformation Spread on Social Media and Its Implications for State Resilience
by Dwi Surjatmodjo, Andi Alimuddin Unde, Hafied Cangara and Alem Febri Sonni
Soc. Sci. 2024, 13(8), 418; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci13080418 - 9 Aug 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 8187
Abstract
This research examines the spread of disinformation on social media platforms and its impact on state resilience through a systematic literature review of 150 peer-reviewed studies published between 2014 and 2024. The analysis revealed that disinformation spreads six times faster than accurate information, [...] Read more.
This research examines the spread of disinformation on social media platforms and its impact on state resilience through a systematic literature review of 150 peer-reviewed studies published between 2014 and 2024. The analysis revealed that disinformation spreads six times faster than accurate information, with emotions and platform algorithms playing a significant role in its spread. Factors such as low digital literacy, political polarization, and declining trust in institutions increase people’s vulnerability to disinformation. Impacts on national security include threats to the integrity of democratic processes, the erosion of social cohesion, and decreased public trust. The most effective coping strategies include improving digital literacy (78 percent effective), fact-checking (65 percent), and content regulation (59 percent). However, these efforts face ethical and legal challenges, especially regarding freedom of expression. This research highlights the need for a multidimensional approach in addressing the “information pandemic”, integrating technological, educational, and policy strategies while considering ethical implications. The findings provide a foundation for further policy development and research to protect the integrity of public information spaces and state resilience in the digital age. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Disinformation and Misinformation in the New Media Landscape)
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