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By
Associate Research Professor of Social Psychology
Introduction
Information warfare whether they know it or not.
Disinformation is deliberately generated misleading content disseminated for selfish or malicious purposes. Unlike misinformation, which may be shared unwittingly or with good intentions, disinformation aims to foment distrust, destabilize institutions, , defame opponents and delegitimize sources of knowledge such as science and journalism.
Many governments engage in disinformation campaigns. For instance, the Russian government has to attract attention to anti-Ukraine propaganda. Meta, parent company of Facebook and Instagram, warned on Nov. 30, 2023, that China .
Disinformation is , and information warfare has been practiced by many countries, But the internet gives disinformation campaigns unprecedented reach. , , domestic and international , and even exploit the internet to spread questionable content. Periods of , , crises and and the hunt for information, which disinformation agents take advantage of.
Certainly it鈥檚 worth watching for the warning signs for and , but there are additional tactics disinformation agents employ.
It’s Just a Joke
is a in which disinformation agents use memes, political comedy from state-run outlets, or speeches to make light of serious matters, attack others, or , and deflect blame.
This approach provides an easy defense: If challenged, the disinformation agents can say, 鈥淐an鈥檛 you take a joke?鈥 often followed by accusations of being too politically correct.
Shhh … Tell Everyone
Rumor-milling is a tactic in which the disinformation agents they allege are being purposefully concealed. They indicate that you will 鈥渙nly hear this here鈥 and will imply that others are unwilling to share the alleged truth 鈥 for example, 鈥淭he media won鈥檛 report this鈥 or 鈥淭he government doesn鈥檛 want you to know鈥 and 鈥淚 shouldn鈥檛 be telling you this 鈥 .鈥
But they do not insist that the information be kept secret, and will instead include encouragement to share it 鈥 for example, 鈥淢ake this go viral鈥 or 鈥淢ost people won鈥檛 have the courage to share this.鈥 It鈥檚 important to question how an author or speaker could have come by such 鈥渟ecret鈥 information and what their motive is to prompt you to share it.
People Are Saying
Often disinformation has no real evidence, so instead disinformation agents will to support their assertions. This impersonation can take multiple forms. Disinformation agents will use anecdotes as evidence, especially sympathetic stories from vulnerable groups such as women or children.
Similarly, they may disseminate 鈥溾 perspectives. These layperson experts present their social identity as providing the authority to speak on a matter; 鈥淎s a mother 鈥,鈥 鈥淎s a veteran 鈥,鈥 鈥淎s a police officer 鈥.鈥 , or people who allegedly change from the 鈥渨rong鈥 position to the 鈥渞ight鈥 one, can be especially persuasive, such as the woman who got an abortion but regretted it. These people often don鈥檛 actually exist or may be or paid.
If ordinary people don鈥檛 suffice, may be used. Some are fabricated, and you can watch out for 鈥溾 behavior, for example, by checking X 鈥 formerly Twitter 鈥 accounts using the . But fake experts can come in different varieties.
- A faux expert is someone used for their title but doesn鈥檛 have actual relevant expertise.
- A pseudoexpert is someone who claims relevant expertise but has .
- A junk expert is a sellout. They may have had expertise once but now say whatever is profitable. You can often find these people have supported other dubious claims 鈥 for example, that 鈥 or work for that regularly produce questionable 鈥.鈥
- An echo expert is when disinformation sources cite each other to provide credence for their claims. China and Russia routinely newspapers.
- A stolen expert is someone who exists, but they weren鈥檛 actually contacted and their research is misinterpreted. Likewise, disinformation agents also steal credibility from known news sources, such as by , the practice of setting up a domain name that closely resembles a legitimate organization鈥檚.
You can check whether accounts, anecdotal or scientific, . Google the name. Check expertise status, source validity and interpretation of research. Remember, or interpretation is not necessarily representative.
It’s All a Conspiracy
Conspiratorial narratives involve some malevolent force 鈥 for example, 鈥渢he deep state,鈥 鈥 with the aim to cause harm to society. That certain conspiracies such as and Watergate have been confirmed is often offered as evidence for the validity of new unfounded conspiracies.
Nonetheless, disinformation agents find that constructing a conspiracy is an effective means to remind people of past reasons to .
But extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. Remember, the conspiracies that were ultimately unveiled had evidence 鈥 often from sources like investigative journalists, scientists and government investigations. Be particularly wary of conspiracies that try to like universities, research labs, government agencies and news outlets by claiming that they are in on a cover-up.
Good vs. Evil
Disinformation often serves the dual purpose of making the originator look good and their opponents look bad. Disinformation takes this further by painting issues as a battle between good and evil, using accusations of evilness to . Russia is particularly fond of accusing others of being , or . Meanwhile, they often depict their soldiers as helping children and the elderly.
Be especially wary of like genocide, especially under the attention-grabbing 鈥渂reaking news鈥 headline. abound. Verify the facts and how the information was obtained.
Are You With Us or Against Us?
A false dichotomy narrative sets up the reader to believe that they have one of two mutually exclusive options; a good or a bad one, a right or a wrong one, a red pill or a blue pill. You can accept their version of reality or be an idiot or 鈥渟heeple.鈥
There are always more options than those being presented, and issues are rarely so black and white. This is just one of the tactics in , where disinformation agents seek to silence dissenting viewpoints by casting them as the wrong choice.
Turning the Tables
is a classic Russian disinformation technique they use to deflect attention from their own wrongdoings by alleging the wrongdoings of others. These allegations about the actions of others may be to the matter at hand. The potential past wrongs of one group does not mean you should ignore the current wrongs of another.
Disinformation agents also often cast their group as the wronged party. They only engage in disinformation because their 鈥渆nemy鈥 engages in disinformation against them; they only attack to defend; and their reaction was appropriate, while that of others was an . This type of is particularly pervasive when groups have been embedded in a long-lasting conflict.
In all of these cases, the disinformation agent is aware that they are deflecting, misleading, trolling or outright fabricating. If you don鈥檛 believe them, they at least want to make you question what, if anything, you can believe.
You often look into the things you buy rather than taking the advertising at face value before you hand over your money. This should also go for what information you buy into.
Originally by , 12.07.2023, under the terms of a license.