ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview of the debates surrounding misinformation and disinformation in political communication. The most commonly accepted distinction between types of problematic information is misinformation and disinformation. Indeed, the broad proliferation of mis/disinformation has arguably been accelerated by social media. The affordances of digital media exacerbate susceptibility to worldview-congruent mis/disinformation as they tend to facilitate instantaneous, uncritical behaviour based on little cognitive consideration. Political and media institutions can also affect the production, circulation, and impact of mis/disinformation. Approaches focused on news consumers are also relevant, with civic and digital education efforts seeking to equip social media users against online mis/disinformation. For instance, creating more friction in the user experience may reduce users’ inclination to mindlessly accept and share mis/disinformation that fits with their worldview. Attempts to inoculate users against mis/disinformation have also shown promise, as ‘fake news’ games have often improved identification of, and resistance to, misleading content.
