“Useful Idiots” of Disinformation Campaigns. Mechanisms for the Formation of Virtual Communities Spreading Falsehood and Manipulation Online
Abstract
This article explores the phenomenon of virtual communities disseminating false and manipulated content. The author points out the relationship between contemporary changes in the media environment, influencing the formation of social identity, worldview and the feeling of emotions, and the intentional creation of virtual communities around disinformation content. The impact of disinformation campaigns, initiated by organised state and non-state actors, on the creation of virtual communities complicit in the creation, reproduction and propagation of false narratives was also considered. The objectives of such campaigns, which focus on creating alternative information environments and disinformation communities, are identified and described. Contemporary social transformations were then characterised in relation to the role played by virtual communities in the adaptation of individuals to these changes. Particular attention was paid to increasing individualisation, the formation of social identification in digital media and the growth of a sense of anxiety and insecurity in society. As a result, mechanisms that are well-established in contemporary social transformations have been identified that foster the formation of and participation in disinformation communities, viz: (1) helping to understand complex and unclear socially important topics; (2) pointing to the “right” norms and values; (3) helping to form a worldview; (4) supporting coping with difficult-to-control emotions; (5) creating a space for the expression of rebellion and countercultural attitudes; (6) creating a space of “escape” for excluded or marginalised individuals; (7) helping to shape social identification. The effects of disinformation campaigns based on the participation of virtual communities were also identified, viz: (1) the creation of “unconscious disinformation agents”, (2) the formation of oppositional identities, (3) the polarisation of communities around emotions, and (4) the normalisation of extreme values and views.
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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.17951/ks.2022.10.2.5-30
Date of publication: 2024-03-04 01:18:55
Date of submission: 2024-03-03 21:32:20
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