Online disinformation in Europe Despite the much-publicised role of online disinformation in bringing Donald Trump to power, disinformation is not just a US problem. It affects European countries too. Over the past five years, disinformation campaigns on social media have exploited social cracks and pitted various identity groups against each other. We only have to…
The inauguration of Joe Biden as US president delivered a severe blow to followers of the Qanon conspiracy theory. Without their central figure, Donald Trump, where will adherents of this movement go next? In this post, I present my thoughts based on a recent discussion I had with Canada’s CTV News. What is Qanon? Firstly,…
This post is based on a panel talk I gave for TEDx MidAtlantic, entitled ‘The Threat of Tribalism’, on October 13, 2020. Video version below, also featuring Jennifer Kavanagh of RAND Corporation. Why has the COVID-19 pandemic hit the US and the UK so badly? Political tribalism is partly to blame, for compromising our public…
In this post, I’ll discuss the all-too-common problem of online trolling and explain some troll tactics. I’ll also look at the important links between online trolling, disinformation and cyber warfare campaigns. [lwptoc] What is online trolling? Anyone who has spent much time on social media has likely experienced their fair share of online trolling. Unfortunately,…
Introduction In this week’s article, I’m going to delve into the important issue of online voter suppression. I’ll give some examples of what voter suppression attempts look like on social media and explain specifically how disinformation is involved. I’ll also discuss the psychological drivers that make online voter suppression effective. In closing, I’ll suggest some…