Disinformation in the Post-Truth Era: Epistemological Constructs, Social Contagion, and the Role of the iField

Authors

  • Former Director, International School of Information Management, University of Mysore, Mysuru – 570006, Karnataka

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17821/srels/2024/v61i5/171580

Keywords:

Contagion Theory, Disinformation , Epistemological Constructs, Fake-News, iField, iSchools, LIS, Malinformation, Misinformation, Post-Truth Era, Social Media, Social Network Analysis

Abstract

This paper examines the “post-truth era” focusing on fake news and disinformation, emphasising their role in undermining the foundational principles of science and society. It begins by distinguishing misinformation, disinformation, and malinformation, setting the stage for a theoretical framework that conceptualises disinformation through the lens of the Indian epistemological concept of Pramāṇa, Floridi’s Philosophy of Information, and Aristotle’s Theory of Deviance. Additionally, the paper posits that contagion theories, such as those by Le Bon and others, help explain the spread of disinformation in an era dominated by social networks, making a case for Social Network Analysis as a valuable tool. Practical strategies and tools to combat falsehoods are also offered. Finally, it argues that the field of information studies (iField) must address this crisis by incorporating relevant content into its curriculum and education.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Metrics

Metrics Loading ...

References

Adolf, M., & Deicke, D. (2015). New modes of integration: Individuality and sociality in digital networks. First Monday, 20(1). https://doi.org/10.5210/fm.v20i1.5495

Airoldi, E. M., & Christakis, N. A. (2024). Induction of social contagion for diverse outcomes in structured experiments in isolated villages. Science, 384(6695), eadi5147. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adi5147

Bak-Coleman, J. B., Alfano, M., Barfuss, W., Bergstrom, C. T., Centeno, M. A., Couzin, I. D., ... & Weber, E. U. (2021). Stewardship of global collective behavior. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 118(27), e2025764118.

Bell, D. (1973). The coming of post-industrial society: A venture in social forecasting. Basic Books.

Bilimoria, P. (1993). Pramāṇa epistemology: Some recent developments. In G. Fløistad (Ed.), Asian philosophy (Vol. 7, pp. 123-142). Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-2510-9_7

Broda, E., & Strömbäck, J. (2024). Misinformation, disinformation, and fake news: Lessons from an interdisciplinary, systematic literature review. Annals of the International Communication Association, 48(2), 139-166. https://doi.org/10.1080/23808985.2024.2323736

Dewey, J. (1916). Democracy and education: An introduction to the philosophy of education. MacMillan.

Fallis, D. (2015). What is disinformation? Library Trends, 63(3), 401-426. https://doi.org/10.1353/lib.2015.0014

Floridi, L. (2011). The philosophy of information. Oxford University Press.

Freelon, D., & Wells, C. (2020). Disinformation as political communication. Political Communication, 37(2), 145-156. https://doi.org/10.1080/10584609.2020.1723755

Hameleers, M., & Minihold, S. (2022). Constructing discourses on (un)truthfulness: Attributions of reality, misinformation, and disinformation by politicians in a comparative social media setting. Communication Research, 49(8), 1176-1199. https://doi.org/10.1177/0093650220982762

Le Bon, G. (1895). The crowd: A study of the popular mind. T. Fisher Unwin.

Lembke, A. (2021). Dopamine nation: Finding balance in the age of indulgence. Dutton.

Lewin, K. (1952). Field theory in social science: Selected theoretical papers by Kurt Lewin. Tavistock.

McIntyre, L. (2018). Post-truth. MIT Press. https://doi.org/10.7551/mitpress/11483.001.0001

McLuhan, M. (1962). Gutenberg galaxy: The making of typographic man. University of Toronto Press.

McLuhan, M. (1994). Understanding media: The extensions of man. MIT Press.

Mian, A., & Khan, S. (2020). Coronavirus: The spread of misinformation. BMC Medicine, 18(1), 1-2. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-020-01556-3

Navarro-Sierra, N., Magro-Vela, S., & Vinader-Segura, R. (2024). Research on disinformation in academic studies: Perspectives through a bibliometric analysis. Publications, 12(2), 14. https://doi.org/10.3390/publications1202014

Oreskes, N., & Conway, E. M. (2010). Merchants of doubt: How a handful of scientists obscured the truth on issues from tobacco smoke to global warming. Bloomsbury Publishing USA.

Paris, B., Reynolds, R. & Marcello, G. (2022). Disinformation detox: Teaching and learning about mis-and disinformation using socio-technical systems perspectives. Information and Learning Sciences, 123(1/2), 80-110. https://doi.org/10.1108/ILS-09-2021-0083

Prus, R. (2015). Aristotle’s theory of deviance and contemporary symbolic interactionist scholarship: Learning from the past, extending the present, and engaging the future. The American Sociologist, 46(2), 122-167. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12108-014-9250-9

Rasmussen, J. (2018). Truth, correspondence theory of. In The Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Taylor and Francis. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780415249126-N064-2

Sampson, T. D. (2012). Virality: Contagion theory in the age of networks. University of Minnesota Press. https://doi.org/10.5749/minnesota/9780816670048.001.0001

Stolberg, S. G., & Mueller, B. (2023). Lab leak or not? How politics shaped the battle over Covid’s origin. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com

Sunstein, C. R. (2006). Infotopia: How many minds produce knowledge. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780195189285.001.0001

Tandoc Jr., E. C., Ling, R., Westlund, O., Duffy, A., Goh, D., & Zheng Wei, L. (2018). Audiences’ acts of authentication in the age of fake news: A conceptual framework. New Media and Society, 20(8), 2745-2763. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444817731756

Urs, S. R. (2022). Deconstructing disinformation through Western and Indian epistemological lenses and constructs. Information Science Trends 2022 - The ASIS and T European Chapter Research Series.

Urs, S. R. (2023). Reimagining and recalibrating information studies: iSchools, the way forward. Journal of Information and Knowledge, 5(1), 5-17. https://doi.org/10.17821/ srels/2023/v60i1/170903

Urs, S. R., & Minhaj, M. (2022). Evolution of data science and its education in iSchools: An impressionistic study using curriculum analysis. Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology, 74(6), 606-622. https://doi.org/10.1002/asi.24588

Wardle, C. (2020). Journalism and the new information ecosystem: Responsibilities and challenges. The International Journal of Press/Politics, 25(3), 505-526. https://doi.org/10.1177/1940161220937223

Wardle, C., & Derakhshan, H. (2017). Information disorder: Toward an interdisciplinary framework for research and policymaking (Vol. 27). Council of Europe.

Wiggins, A., & Sawyer, S. (2012). Intellectual diversity and the faculty composition of iSchools. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 63(1), 8-21. https://doi.org/10.1002/asi.21619

Zhang, P., Yan, J. L. S., & Hassman, K. D. (2013). The intellectual characteristics of the information field: Heritage and substance. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 64(12), 2468-2491. https://doi.org/10.1002/asi.22941

Zuo, Z., Zhao, K., & Eichmann, D. (2017). The state and evolution of US iSchools: From talent acquisitions to research outcome. Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology, 68(5), 1266-1277. https://doi.org/10.1002/asi.23751

Published

2024-10-21

How to Cite

Urs, S. R. (2024). Disinformation in the Post-Truth Era: Epistemological Constructs, Social Contagion, and the Role of the iField. Journal of Information and Knowledge, 61(5), 261–269. https://doi.org/10.17821/srels/2024/v61i5/171580

Issue

Section

Articles