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Research papers on Disinformation and elections

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  2. Political communication in a high-choice media environment: a challenge for democracy?

    Peter Van Aelst, Jesper Strömbäck, Toril Aalberg, et al. · 2017 · Annals of the International Communication Association · 967 citations

    During the last decennia media environments and political communication systems have changed fundamentally. These changes have major ramifications for the political information environments and the extent to which they aid people in becoming informed citizens. Against this background, the purpose of this article is to review research on key changes and trends in political information environments and assess their democratic implications. We will focus on advanced postindustrial democracies and six concerns that are all closely linked to the dissemination and acquisition of political knowledge: (1) declining supply of political information, (2) declining quality of news, (3) increasing media

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  5. Why Hasn't Democracy Slowed Rising Inequality?

    Adam Bonica, Nolan McCarty, Keith T. Poole, et al. · 2013 · The Journal of Economic Perspectives · 494 citations

    During the past two generations, democratic forms have coexisted with massive increases in economic inequality in the United States and many other advanced democracies. Moreover, these new inequalities have primarily benefited the top 1 percent and even the top .01 percent. These groups seem sufficiently small that economic inequality could be held in check by political equality in the form of “one person, one vote.” In this paper, we explore five possible reasons why the US political system has failed to counterbalance rising inequality. First, both Republicans and many Democrats have experienced an ideological shift toward acceptance of a form of free market capitalism that offers less sup

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  6. Disinformation and social bot operations in the run up to the 2017 French presidential election

    Emilio Ferrara · 2017 · First Monday · 489 citations

    Recent accounts from researchers, journalists, as well as federal investigators, reached a unanimous conclusion: social media are systematically exploited to manipulate and alter public opinion. Some disinformation campaigns have been coordinated by means of bots, social media accounts controlled by computer scripts that try to disguise themselves as legitimate human users. In this study, we describe one such operation that occurred in the run up to the 2017 French presidential election. We collected a massive Twitter dataset of nearly 17 million posts, posted between 27 April and 7 May 2017 (Election Day). We then set to study the MacronLeaks disinformation campaign: By leveraging a mix of

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  7. Disinformation as Collaborative Work

    Kate Starbird, Ahmer Arif, Tom Wilson · 2019 · Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction · 365 citations

    In this paper, we argue that strategic information operations (e.g. disinformation, political propaganda, and other forms of online manipulation) are a critical concern for CSCW researchers, and that the CSCW community can provide vital insight into understanding how these operations function-by examining them as collaborative "work" within online crowds. First, we provide needed definitions and a framework for conceptualizing strategic information operations, highlighting related literatures and noting historical context. Next, we examine three case studies of online information operations using a sociotechnical lens that draws on CSCW theories and methods to account for the mutual shaping

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  8. A multi-dimensional approach to disinformation : report of the independent High level Group on fake news and online disinformation

    Marius Buning · 2018 · Cadmus - EUI Research Repository (European University Institute) · 304 citations

    In January 2018, the European Commission set up a highlevel group of experts («the HLEG») to advise on policy initiatives to counter fake news and disinformation spread online. The HLEG consisted of 39 members and was chaired by Prof. Dr. Madeleine de Cock Buning. Its members had different backgrounds, including academia and journalism, written press and broadcasting organizations, online platforms as well as civil society and fact-checking organizations. The HLEG’s tasks were to advise the Commission on all issues arising in the context of false information spread across traditional and social media and on possible ways to cope with its social and political consequences. The main deliverabl

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  9. The Global Disinformation Order: 2019 Global Inventory of Organised Social Media Manipulation

    Samantha Bradshaw, Philip N. Howard · 2019 · Lincoln (University of Nebraska) · 303 citations

    Executive Summary Over the past three years, we have monitored the global organization of social media manipulation by governments and political parties. Our 2019 report analyses the trends of computational propaganda and the evolving tools, capacities, strategies, and resources. 1. Evidence of organized social media manipulation campaigns which have taken place in 70 countries, up from 48 countries in 2018 and 28 countries in 2017. In each country, there is at least one political party or government agency using social media to shape public attitudes domestically. 2.Social media has become co-opted by many authoritarian regimes. In 26 countries, computational propaganda is being used as a t

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  10. Visual Mis- and Disinformation, Social Media, and Democracy

    Viorela Dan, Britt Paris, Joan Donovan, et al. · 2021 · Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly · 288 citations

    Over the last five years, widespread concern about the effects of social media on democracy has led to an explosion in research from different disciplines and corners of academia. This book is the first of its kind to take stock of this emerging multi-disciplinary field by synthesizing what we know, identifying what we do not know and obstacles to future research, and charting a course for the future inquiry. Chapters by leading scholars cover major topics – from disinformation to hate speech to political advertising – and situate recent developments in the context of key policy questions. In addition, the book canvasses existing reform proposals in order to address widely perceived threats

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  12. AI Threats to Politics, Elections, and Democracy: A Blockchain-Based Deepfake Authenticity Verification Framework

    M. B. E. Islam, Muhammad Haseeb, Hina Batool, et al. · 2024 · Blockchains · 34 citations

    The integrity of global elections is increasingly under threat from artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. As AI continues to permeate various aspects of society, its influence on political processes and elections has become a critical area of concern. This is because AI language models are far from neutral or objective; they inherit biases from their training data and the individuals who design and utilize them, which can sway voter decisions and affect global elections and democracy. In this research paper, we explore how AI can directly impact election outcomes through various techniques. These include the use of generative AI for disseminating false political information, favoring ce

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  13. Russian Meddling in U.S. Elections: How News of Disinformation’s Impact Can Affect Trust in Electoral Outcomes and Satisfaction with Democracy

    Andrew R. N. Ross, Cristian Vaccari, A. Chadwick · 2022 · Mass Communication and Society · 22 citations

    ABSTRACT Russia’s Internet Research Agency (R-IRA) has been a key focus of disinformation research due to its attempts to use social media to influence the outcome of the 2016 United States presidential election. However, questions remain about the extent to which news coverage of the R-IRA’s efforts may have shaped public perceptions of U.S. democracy. To assess its impact, we ran an experiment involving U.S. social media users (N = 916). We tested whether reading news reports about the R-IRA’s activities heightened perceptions that the R-IRA influenced the public’s vote choices, and whether this influence in turn reduced confidence in the outcomes of the 2016 and 2020 elections and broader

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  14. The European Union’s Governance Approach to Tackling Disinformation – protection of democracy, foreign influence, and the quest for digital sovereignty

    Matthias Kachelmann, W. Reiners · 2023 · L'Europe en Formation · 7 citations

    Cet article présente une vue d’ensemble des caractéristiques de la désinformation à l’ère numérique, décrit l’évolution des efforts déployés par l’UE pour lutter contre la désinformation et fournit une analyse globale de l’approche de sa gouvernance en termes de politiques, d’acteurs et d’instruments politiques. Sur cette base, nous analysons sa compatibilité avec la quête de souveraineté numérique de l’UE. Les principales conclusions sont que l’UE a maintenu une approche particulièrement stable en combinant des instruments souples et fermes dans un cadre de corégulation qui implique des acteurs privés et publics. Nous concluons que l’interaction entre la nature de la désinformation, la conf

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  15. Crowddoing and crowdfunding democracy: Innovative strategies for countering foreign disinformation in Central and Eastern Europe

    Shane Markowitz · 2023 · New Perspectives · 5 citations

    Central and Eastern Europe has become a ripe target for disinformation and malign narratives propagated by foreign actors. A deluge of propaganda deployed by hostile states is aimed at polarizing societies, undermining the decision-making capabilities of governments, and influencing public policy. Against the backdrop of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the stakes are enormous. Heeding research on debunking and pre-bunking strategies recognizing the limitations and potential of these approaches in inoculating populations against disinformation, this paper examines how several tactics deployed in the CEE region can both speak to and draw from this literature. While certain segments of CEE popul

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  17. The impact of disinformation generated by AI on democracy case studies: the US presidential elections in 2016 & 2024

    Nourhan Tosson Ibrahim, N. Attia · 2025 · Review of Economics and Political Science · 2 citations

    The paper studies the impact of disinformation generated by AI on democracy and it takes the US presidential elections in 2016 and 2024 as case studies. The paper depended on analyzing three concepts in order to formulate a theoretical framework, which are “Democracy”, “Artificial Intelligence” and “Disinformation”. The study also used the comparative case study method in order to reach the similarities and differences that could be used to test the study's hypothesis. It was found that there was an increasing impact of AI in the 2024 election than 2016 election and it is likely that its influence would increase more in the next years. Also, it was found that the influence

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  18. Politics and Propaganda on Social Media: How Twitter and Meta Moderate State-Linked Information Operations

    Nihat Muğurtay, Umut Duygu, Onur Varol · 2024 · ArXiv · 2 citations

    Why do Social Media Corporations (SMCs) engage in state-linked information operations? Social media can significantly influence the global political landscape, allowing governments and other political entities to engage in concerted information operations, shaping or manipulating domestic and foreign political agendas. In response to state-linked political manipulation tactics on social media, Twitter and Meta carried out take-down operations against propaganda networks, accusing them of interfering foreign elections, organizing disinformation campaigns, manipulating political debates and many other issues. This research investigates the two SMCs' policy orientation to explain which factors

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  20. AI-Driven Disinformation and Political Influence on WhatsApp in South Africa’s 2024 Elections

    Gregory Gondwe · 2025 · The International Journal of Press/Politics · 1 citations

    This study investigates the role of encrypted messaging apps, specifically WhatsApp, in disseminating political disinformation during South Africa’s 2024 general elections. Drawing on a dataset of 22,384 messages from 47 politically active WhatsApp groups and 6,283 unique users, the study identifies how AI-generated deepfakes, emotional manipulation, and ideological group structures facilitated the spread of false political narratives. Using MyFactChecker, an AI-powered sentiment and verification tool, we reveal that disinformation most frequently relied on fear-based appeals (41%), identity-driven rhetoric (32%), and content mimicking credible journalism (27%). The findings show that disinf

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  21. Computational Propaganda, Disinformation, And Democracy: Multidisciplinary Strategies For 2025

    Kunle Olawunmi Ph.D. · 2025 · International Journal of Social Science and Human Research · 1 citations

    The rise of computational propaganda has introduced unprecedented challenges for democratic governance, fueled by the rapid proliferation of disinformation, AI-generated content, and algorithm-driven influence campaigns. Unlike traditionalpropaganda, computational propaganda operates at scale, leveraging automation, synthetic media, and personalization to undermine trust, manipulate electorates, and exacerbate polarization. By 2025, these dynamics have intensified as advances in generative artificial intelligence and algorithmic amplification coincide with critical global elections and growing democratic fragility. This study pursues three objectives: first, to analyze the implications of co

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  22. Unravelling the web: exploring the dynamics of online disinformation and its impact on democracy in Africa

    Kira Alberts · 2025 · Canadian Journal of African Studies / Revue canadienne des études africaines · 1 citations

    ABSTRACT The article looks at the influence of social media disinformation campaigns on voter behaviour in the national elections in Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa in the period 2017–2023. By examining the various communication efforts, propaganda and political marketing, the article shows how the digital revolution – with the help of such tools as artificial intelligence, algorithms, deepfakes and bots – has amplified the potential for disinformation to an unprecedented degree. By comparing three African countries in their respectively distinct stages of democratic consolidation, the article sheds light on how disinformation techniques impact the democratic fabric of these nations and to w

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  23. Digital Democracy and Disinformation: The European Approach to Disinformation on Social Media in the Case of 2019 European Parliament Elections

    Dawid Aristotelis Fusiek, A. Stougiannou, Theoharris William Efthymiou-Egleton · 2022 · Journal of Politics and Ethics in New Technologies and AI · 1 citations

    This policy paper offers a brief overview of the hazards for digital democracy stemming from AI and digital tools and how the EU tackled online disinformation social media ahead of the 2019 European Parliament elections. The advent and introduction of social media into the political sphere has had a profound and substantial effect on Europe’s electoral processes affecting both voting behavior and the underlying factors that influence it. Whereas malicious actors often participating in disinformation have led to growing calls for reforms, this phenomenon has been most pronounced in the 2019 European parliament elections which saw an unprecedented reliance on digital media within the political

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