A presentation by Jaume Suau, Tenured Professor at Blanquerna School of Communication and International Relations, Ramon Llull University, and head of DIGILAB research group
Background
Despite global awareness of the significant threats that disinformation poses to democracy, public trust, and societal stability, there is scarce academic agreement on how to measure its real impact on different societies. The complexity of studying disinformation’s impact lies in the interplay of foreign-sponsored content, domestic actors (including politicians and news media), and the active role of audiences who share, reshape, and comment on disinformation-related content, whether they are aware of its misleading nature or not. Furthermore, disinformation campaigns aim to reach broader publics through diverse content and dissemination strategies, both online and offline, across legacy and new media.
Objectives
The seminar aims to present a narrative-based approach to the study of the reach and impact of disinformation narratives. Building on previous research and current projects conducted at DIGILAB, we conceptualise disinformation narratives as groups or collectives of content that refer to the same idea or story, grounded in current societal polarized issues with a moral base that engages emotions through a degree of plausibility. This method captures the collaborative aspects of disinformation, where individual pieces of misleading content may be quickly forgotten, but the foundational narrative leaves a lasting impression, making it more traceable and researchable in terms of its reach and impact.
More specifically the seminar will aim to:
- Introduce the methodology used to study reach and impact of disinformation narratives in the DISINFTRUST project funded by EMIF, through a survey in 9 European countries and an online experiment in the UK and Spain, plus a pilot testing in the USA (4 states).
- Present the project results and implications regarding reach and impact of disinformation narratives in target countries, as well as main dissemination channels and trust factors that shape belief in misleading content.
- Open discussion on the methodology and possibilities for improvement or combination with other projects and initiatives.