Mis/disinformation and Democratic Society

Drawing on a variety of perspectives and methodologies, this collection explores the intricate relationship between mis- and disinformation and the functioning of democratic society.

List of contents

List of Figures
List of Contributors
Series Editor Forward
Introduction: Mis/Disinformation and Democratic Society
Melissa Zimdars
Chapter 1: Theorizing the Role of Mis/Disinformation, Digital Democracy, and the Public Sphere
Ivanka Pjesivac and Alexia Little
Chapter 2: Automating Deception: Generative AI, Disinformation, and the Future of the Liberal Public Sphere
Heather Walters
Chapter 3: Don't Blame the Victim for the System: How Paywalls, Bad Digital Design, Prohibitions on Political Talk, and Streaming TV Undermine News Literacy
Nikki Usher
Chapter 4: News Industry Crises, the Specter of Objectivity, and the Laundering and Amplification of Political Disinformation
Melissa Zimdars
Chapter 5: Political Misinformation Over the Last Decade
Erik Schlicht
Chapter 6: Conspiracy Aesthetics
Robert N. Spicer
Chapter 7: 'Link in Bio': Fake Cancer Cures, Radicalization Pathways and Online Harms on TikTok
Stephanie Alice Baker
Chapter 8: Emotion and Misinformation Acceptance During Public Health Crises: Validation of the Emotional Congruence Hypothesis with the Emotion of Hope
Kilhoe Na
Chapter 9: Inoculation: An Antidote to Protect Against the Influence of Disinformation About Organizations
Michel M. Haigh, Erin Hester, and Youjeong Kim.
Chapter 10: Understanding the Third Person Effect in the Context of Online Hate Speech and Disinformation
Travis Loof and Jody-Ann Tyson
Index

About the author

is an associate professor in the Department of Communication and Media at Merrimack College, USA. Her work on mis/disinformation has appeared in numerous academic and popular outlets, including New Media and Society, Social Media + Society, International Journal of Communication, Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology, the Chronicle Review, and the Washington Post. She has also delivered several keynote lectures about mis/disinformation for local, national, and international professional and academic organizations, and has been interviewed about fake news and mis/disinformation by dozens of news outlets around the world, including the Washington Post, Boston Globe, NPR, BBC, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Scientific American.

Product details

• Authors: Melissa Zimdars
• Assisted by: Melissa Zimdars (Editor)
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd.
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 16.06.2025
• EAN: 9781041019237
• ISBN: 978-1-0-4101923-7
• No. of pages: 190
• Series: Electronic Media Research Series
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Philosophy > General, dictionaries; Non-fiction book > Philosophy, religion > Miscellaneous; Media Studies, LANGUAGE ARTS & DISCIPLINES / Journalism, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Media Studies, LANGUAGE ARTS & DISCIPLINES / Communication Studies, POLITICAL SCIENCE / Political Process / Media & Internet, Press & journalism, Social & political philosophy, social and political philosophy, Political structures: democracy, Political campaigning & advertising, Political campaigning and advertising, News media and journalism