Browsing by Subject "Disinformation"
Now showing 1 - 7 of 7
Results Per Page
Sort Options
- PublicationOpen AccessA systematic literature review of the phenomenon of disinformation and misinformation(Cogitatio Press, 2023-04-28) Pérez Escolar, Marta; Lilleker, Darren; Tapia‐Frade, Alejandro; Comunicación; Facultad de Comunicación y DocumentaciónDisinformation threatens the virtue of knowledge. The notion of truth becomes corrupted when citizens believe and give credibility to false, inaccurate, or misleading messages. This situation is particularly relevant in the digital age, where users of media platforms are exposed to different sorts of persuasive statements with uncertain origins and a lack of authenticity. How does academia understand the disinformation problem, and are we equipped to offer solutions? In response to this question, our study provides an overview of the general definitions, trends, patterns, and developments that represent the research on disinformation and misinformation. We conducted a systematic review of N = 756 publications covering eight years, 2014–2022. This period captures phenomena such as Trump’s emergence as a candidate for the US presidency, his term in office, as well as the leadership of figures such as Erdogan in Turkey, Bolsonaro in Brazil, Modi in India, and various similar populist and nationalist leaders across a range of democratic and semi‐democratic societies. This period is also one that witnessed the first global pandemic, when misinformation and disinformation not only threatened societal cohesion but the lives of people. This systematic review explores the critical terminology used, the areas of social life where disinformation is identified as problematic, the sources identified as creating or circulating this material, as well as the channels studied, the targets, and the persuasiveness of the discourse. What this article offers, then, is an overview of what we know about disinformation and what gaps in research should be pursued. We conclude that given the problems that misinformation and disinformation are seen to cause for democratic societies, we need to assess the contribution of social science in providing a foundation for scientific knowledge.
- PublicationOpen AccessBridging disinformation and cybersecurity in the social sciences: a scoping review(2026) Teresa García-Alcaraz; Aguado, Juan Miguel; Ruipérez Valiente, José Antonio; Departamento de Comunicación; Departamento de Ingeniería de la Información y las ComunicacionesThe spread of mis/disinformation, amplified and accelerated by the influence of digital technologies, along with the rapid development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools, poses a growing threat that impacts both cybersecurity and wider societal stability, thereby prompting the need for broad and genuinely interdisciplinary analysis. This Scoping Review (ScR) aims to systematically map the body of literature published up to the year 2024, with a specific focus on social science research that examines mis/disinformation at its intersection with cybersecurity. Applying the PRISMA ScR methodology, a total of 64 academic papers were reviewed in order to address four central questions: (1) how core terms such as misinformation and disinformation have been defined across the literature, (2) which are the main academic topics on mis/disinformation related to cybersecurity and how these topics are interconnected in the academic discussion, (3) what theoretical frameworks or social models have been applied to address mis/disinformation in this particular context, and (4) how the relationship between mis/disinformation and cybersecurity has been established, conceptualized, and evolved over time. The findings indicate that, despite the growing frequency of these terms, few studies offer explicit definitions. Mis/disinformation is increasingly understood as a cybersecurity challenge linked to hybrid warfare and cognitive threats. Literature underlines both geopolitical and psychological dimensions, with mitigation approaches largely centred on media literacy and AI. Over time, the focus has shifted from purely technical responses toward broader ethical, legal, and societal considerations, highlighting the phenomenon’s evolving complexity. Persistent research gaps remain, guiding future directions for study.
- PublicationRestrictedBullshit and lies? How british and spanish political leaders add to our information disorder(2023-11-02) Lilleker, Darren; Pérez Escolar, Marta; Comunicación; Facultad de Comunicación y DocumentaciónWithin what is known as the post-truth era, politicians strategically trade in alternative interpretations of data, make bold populist claims and on occasions be completely dishonest for party political gains. Such practices coincide with ever-declining trust in politicians and the democratic system, a phenomenon common to both Spain and the UK. We enquire whether public mistrust is deserved exploring the extent party leaders employ misinformation as part of their strategic communication. The paper analyses falsehoods made by political leaders as determined by major fact-checking sites EFE Verifica and Newtral in Spain, and the UK’s BBC Reality Check and Full Fact. We categorise falsehoods as misinformation, alternative facts, bullshit or lies. Results show right-wing parties most responsible for all forms of falsehoods, or they are most likely to face analysis from factcheckers. Falsehoods are used by governments defending their policies, but also by oppositions to attack the government; especially alternative facts. The overwhelming majority of policy attacks based on false information are from opposition parties, particularly Spanish parties on the right. The flagrant use of bullshit and lies, while simultaneously calling out their more mainstream opponents for similar practices, poisons the notion of democratic pluralism and makes low public trust seem perfectly justified.
- PublicationOpen AccessEthics, Personal Image, and Disinformation in the Era of Deepfakes(Wiley, American Anthropological Association, 2026-03-16) Fernández Fernández, Ángel; Martínez de Bartolomé Rincón, Ireide; Morgado Aguirre, Borja; Bellas ArtesThe growing significance of digital visual culture raises significant questions regarding image curation, respect for image rights, and the protection of privacy. In this context, the development of deepfake technology exacerbates these issues by enabling unprecedented audiovisual manipulation. This article analyses the ethical, legal, and social implications of the creation and dissemination of deepfakes, emphasizing the challenges posed by identity falsification. It also examines the control and regulatory measures implemented by digital platforms to detect and limit the distribution of such content, highlighting the need for clear ethical guidelines. Furthermore, it addresses the capacity of deepfakes to reinforce biases and discriminatory narratives, undermining trust in visual information and perpetuating harmful stereotypes in the collective imagination
- PublicationRestrictedFact checking skills and project-based learning about infodemic and disinformation(2021-06-24) Pérez Escolar, Marta; Ordóñez Olmedo, Eva; Alcaide Pulido, Purificación; Comunicación; Facultades de la UMU::Facultad de Comunicación y DocumentaciónIn today's high-information and high-communication society, university students are increasingly involved in autonomous and collaborative learning processes, which require active methodologies to facilitate the integration of social competencies. The objective of this study was to raise awareness of the risks of disinformation and infodemics and to identify the main social competencies and skills related to fact-checking that students should acquire. Based on thematic-experiential classes and through the project-based learning methodology, this teaching experience consisted of lecturing a fake class in the communication degree programme, in which the professor gave a speech to 150 students about coronavirus that contained both hoaxes and true information, thus challenging students to identify false information. The results obtained in this qualitative study are divided into three parts to answer each research question. The first part is focused on identifying the most influential hoaxes about the coronavirus that young people have embraced as reliable information during the 2020 pandemic (RQ1). The second part is dedicated to explaining students’ reactions when they are involved in infodemic contexts. We also point out the main challenge that arose in a period of infodemics (RQ2). In the third part, we propose the main fact-checking skills that students should acquire to tackle disinformation in a period of infodemics (RQ3). Training in these skills appeared to improve job performance and undoubtedly contributed to the personal development of our future graduates.
- PublicationOpen AccessHow did we get here? The consequences of deceit in addressing political polarization(Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, 2021) Noguera-Vivo, José Manuel; Pérez Escolar, Marta; Comunicación; Noguera-Vivo, José Manuel; Pérez-Escolar, Marta; Facultad de Comunicación y DocumentaciónThe main contribution of this chapter is to study the central role information disorders play in political polarization; in concrete, the objective of this chapter is to illustrate how Spanish political elites – parties and politicians – feed radical ghettos and polarized groups, when distributing lies and fabricated stories on the Internet. For this purpose, we have applied a qualitative methodology, consisting of the case study method, to understand the potential impact of both – political polarization and false content – on the weakened quality of the Spanish democracy. The selected cases include the most popular political parties in Spain: PSOE, PP, Vox, Unidas Podemos and Ciudadanos. As we have demonstrated, political parties in Spain spread both, misinformation and disinformation. We confirm that political parties contribute to increase political polarization when they spread fabricated stories. This results in what we call diversification of polarization, which refers to people becoming isolated in multiple bubble cyber-ghettos depending upon the nature of the issue under debate, i.e. inequality between sexes, climate change, immigration issues, the high prices of rent or the Catalonian independence movement, among other examples. As a consequence, the act of lying increases the diversification of polarization and reduces the possibilities of achieving consensus.
- PublicationOpen AccessIntroduction to the dilemmas and struggles of participatory society(Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, 2021) Pérez Escolar, Marta; Noguera-Vivo, José Manuel; Comunicación; Pérez-Escolar, Marta; Noguera-Vivo, José Manuel; Facultad de Comunicación y DocumentaciónMultiple authors have already warned about the disadvantages that arise in participatory society due to the peculiarities and traits of online scenarios: Van Alstyne and Brynjolfsson proposed the term ‘cyberbalkanization’ to describe the fragmentation of the internet into special interest groups. One of the most representative and recent examples of the dark side of participatory society was the attack on the US Capitol at the beginning of January 2021. For that reason, when polarized ideological ghettos magnify information disorders and reinforce outrageous behaviors, like the assault on the US Capitol, it is essential to start counterattacking the falsehood, combating hate speech and breaking up social segregation and political fragmentation. Aiming to contribute to the accumulative knowledge about stereotypes and distorted images disseminated by mass media, Cristina Algaba, Beatriz Tome-Alonso and Giulia Cimini attempt to study the representation of the Muslim world in prime-time TV series broadcast in Spain, a country with a long-established Muslim population and a strategic migratory destination.