ABSTRACT

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book explores on how the manipulation of information, under different guises, can deteriorate the status of democracy. It focuses on a specific aspect of the information-democracy nexus. The book briefly presents and discusses the main concepts – namely disinformation, fake news, and post-truth politics. It outlines the main attempts at contrasting the different phenomena included under the umbrella term of information manipulation. The book shows how fake news and post-truth politics can impact on crucial decisions citizens are called to take, as in the case of the United Kingdom’s referendum of 2016 on the country’s place in the European Union. It analyses how disinformation and misinformation are affecting Western and Central European political systems. The book examines the effects of recent German legislation regulating the spread of disinformation and fake news.