Digital Disinformation in World Politics

Lennart Maschmeyer

2019 - present

There are a multitude of studies tracing the patterns of disinformation dissemination via twitter and other platforms, but very little research has systematic examined the mechanisms by which disinformation campaigns affect political outcomes. To improve our understanding of disinformation as a political tool, this collaborative project with Dr. Alexei Abrahams (Citizen Lab) and the Peter Pomerantsev (London School of Economics) thus traces the routes and mechanisms by which disinformation campaigns affect public opinion, political discourse and political outcomes. It focuses on a paradigmatic case of 21st century asymmetric conflict, or ‘hybrid warfare’: the Russo-Ukrainian conflict. Specifically, it examines how disinformation messaging spread via social media shapes media reporting, political debates and the perception of Ukraine’s public in the context of Ukraine’s upcoming local elections (in October 2020).