Strategy and Structure

Abstract The pervasive spread of disinformation online is a critical societal issue, limiting our ability to respond to collective challenges such as pandemics and climate change. This essay defines disinformation as intentional, misleading but often built around a true or plausible core, and functioning as a campaign rather than a single piece of content. Online disinformation exploits social media and other information systems (both online and off) in complex ways, and disinformation can become embedded in the structures of online ecosystems. Disinformation is participatory, incorporating unwitting crowds of sincere believers who routinely amplify and even produce false and misleading narratives. The essay…