ABSTRACT
It is broadly assumed that the effects of disinformation are perverse and negative, and a vast amount of research has been made to study its causes and consequences in different contexts, mostly inspired by the Western categories of the phenomenon. However, this perspective has overlooked how disinformation and its consequences are experienced in countries of the so-called global South, where state-sponsored attempts to disinform are frequent.
This chapter offers a theoretical-methodological reflection on how the concept and implications of disinformation need to be rethought when it is used to address the phenomenon outside Western liberal democracies.
I will argue that at least, three aspects need to be considered when studying disinformation in the global South. These aspects are: 1) the institutional weaknesses that are distinctive of these contexts; 2) the socioeconomic gaps prevalent in these countries, and 3) the type of sources that are responsible for spreading disinformation.
These inquiries do not only obey a theoretical concern but also are crucial considerations to formulate sharper policies intended to combat disinformation and implement media literacy projects.
