The Impact of Misinformation and Disinformation

Distinction Between Misinformation and Disinformation

Misinformation and disinformation are two terms that are often used interchangeably, but they have different meanings and implications:

1. Misinformation:
   • Refers to any false or misleading information that is spread without harmful intent.
   • It is often a result of honest mistakes, misunderstandings, or misconceptions.
   • Examples include incorrect rumors, outdated news articles, or errors in reporting.
2. Disinformation:
   • Refers to false information or propaganda spread with the intention to deceive.
   • It is often a deliberate act to mislead or manipulate.
   • Examples include false narratives, doctored images, and fabricated stories.

Economic Impact:

1. Business Reputation: Disinformation campaigns targeting businesses can harm their reputation, leading to a decrease in stock prices or consumer trust.
2. Market Manipulation: False information can affect stock market trends, leading investors to make decisions based on inaccurate data.
3. Costs of Correction: Both private and public sectors often have to invest significantly in efforts to correct misinformation, from PR campaigns to public announcements.

Social Impact:

1. Polarization: Misleading information can deepen divides in society, with groups becoming more entrenched in their beliefs and less likely to listen to opposing viewpoints.
2. Public Health: Misinformation about health, like vaccine falsehoods, can lead to public health crises.
3. Trust Erosion: Continued spread of falsehoods erodes trust in institutions, media, and even interpersonal relationships.

Political Impact:

1. Election Influence: Disinformation campaigns can influence the outcomes of elections, affecting how citizens vote.
2. Policy Distortion: Policymakers can be misled by inaccurate information, leading to ill-informed policy decisions.
3. Diplomatic Tensions: False narratives can exacerbate tensions between countries, possibly leading to international conflicts.

Financial Impact:

1. Investment Decisions: Financial misinformation can mislead investors, leading them to make unwise decisions.
2. Fraud and Scams: Disinformation can be used to defraud people, leading to significant financial losses.
3. Market Instabilities: Rumors or false information can create panic or false confidence, causing market instabilities.

Human Impact:

1. Mental Health: Constant exposure to misinformation can cause anxiety, mistrust, and paranoia among individuals.
2. Safety Risks: False information can lead people to take harmful actions, from ingesting dangerous substances to participating in risky behaviors.
3. Community Disruption: Falsehoods can create rifts in communities, leading to conflicts and breakdowns in social cohesion.

Some References to Consider

Immediately accessible list.

• The disaster of misinformation: a review of research in social media – PMC
• References – Confronting Health Misinformation – NCBI Bookshelf
• Fake News, Misinformation & Disinformation – News – Library Guides at University of Washington Libraries
• Defining Misinformation and Related Terms in Health-Related Literature: Scoping Review
• https://www.apa.org/topics/journalism-facts/misinformation-disinformation
• Fake news, disinformation and misinformation in social media: a review | SpringerLink
• Misinformation, Disinformation, and Online Propaganda (Chapter 2) – Social Media and Democracy
• Overview – Fake News, Misinformation and Disinformation – Guides at University of Alaska Fairbanks
• The spreading of misinformation online | PNAS

More curated list.

1. Definitions:
   • Wardle, C., & Derakhshan, H. (2017). Information disorder: Toward an interdisciplinary framework for research and policy making. Council of Europe report, 27(2017), 5.
2. Economic Impact:
   • Allcott, H., & Gentzkow, M. (2017). Social media and fake news in the 2016 election. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 31(2), 211-36.
3. Social Impact:
   • Marwick, A., & Lewis, R. (2017). Media manipulation and disinformation online. New York: Data & Society Research Institute.
4. Political Impact:
   • Tucker, J. A., Guess, A., Barberá, P., Vaccari, C., Siegel, A., Sanovich, S., … & Nyhan, B. (2018). Social media, political polarization, and political disinformation: a review of the scientific literature. Hewlett Foundation.
5. Financial Impact:
   • Lazer, D. M., Baum, M. A., Benkler, Y., Berinsky, A. J., Greenhill, K. M., Menczer, F., … & Zittrain, J. L. (2018). The science of fake news. Science, 359(6380), 1094-1096.
6. Human Impact:
   • Pennycook, G., & Rand, D. G. (2020). The psychology of fake news. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 24(5), 348-361.
7. Misinformation in Digital Age:
   • Vosoughi, S., Roy, D., & Aral, S. (2018). The spread of true and false news online. Science, 359(6380), 1146-1151.
8. Disinformation Campaigns:
   • Paul, C., & Matthews, M. (2016). The Russian “firehose of falsehood” propaganda model. Rand Corporation.
9. Trust and Misinformation:
   • Lewandowsky, S., Ecker, U. K., & Cook, J. (2017). Beyond misinformation: Understanding and coping with the “post-truth” era. Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition, 6(4), 353-369.
10. Fact-checking & Media Literacy:
    • Amazeen, M. A. (2020). Revisiting the epistemology of fact-checking. Critical Review, 32(1), 1-22.