Social Media in Disinformation Studies

Dear Colleagues,

The emergence of social media as a leading medium for communication and information sharing has significantly altered the worldwide informational landscape and, although these platforms have made information more accessible and increased civic participation, they have also become prime environments for spreading disinformation. Issues like fake news, conspiracy theories, and content manipulation driven by algorithms have created substantial obstacles to democratic integrity, journalism, and media literacy. These effects appear in various ways across sociocultural and geopolitical settings, emphasizing the inequalities between the Global North and South in tackling this issue.

The examination of disinformation has attracted growing interest in fields like communication, political science, cultural studies, and information science. Nonetheless, it is essential to acknowledge the particular functions of social media as a facilitator and enhancer of disinformation streams. The distinct features of these platforms—including algorithmic customization, filter bubbles, and engagement-focused design—establish dynamics that promote the viral spread of misleading and divisive narratives. These dynamics influence the material with which users engage and their views and interactions regarding information.

This Special Issue aims to investigate social media’s role in disinformation studies, focusing on issues concerning the creation, distribution, and reception of misleading narratives, the influence of algorithmic behaviors on the spread of false news, and efforts to alleviate the negative consequences of these issues. Special attention will be given to critical and intersectional viewpoints, exploring how power, inequality, and coloniality influence the dynamics of disinformation on digital platforms.

We invite submissions that address, but are not limited to, the following topics:

• The dynamics of creating and disseminating misleading narratives on social media;
• The role of algorithmic personalization and filter bubbles in amplifying disinformation;
• Strategies to enhance critical information consumption and combat disinformation;
• Power dynamics, inequality, and coloniality in the spread of disinformation;
• Policies and technological solutions to mitigate disinformation on social platforms;
• Comparative analyses of disinformation approaches in the Global North and South;
• Threats posed by disinformation to democratic integrity and journalistic practices;
• Innovative methods and empirical research on disinformation in social media;
• Activism and civic engagement strategies to counter disinformation online;
• Emerging designs and possibilities for resilient informational ecosystems.

Dr. Inês Amaral
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journalism and Media is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• disinformation
• social media algorithms
• global north–south inequalities
• media literacy
• coloniality and power dynamics