Misinformation, Disinformation, and Online Propaganda

The research literature on misinformation, disinformation, and propaganda is vast and sprawling. This chapter discusses descriptive research on the supply and availability of misinformation, patterns of exposure and consumption, and what is known about mechanisms behind its spread through networks. It provides a brief overview of the literature on misinformation in political science and psychology, which provides a basis for understanding the phenomena discussed here. It then examines what we know about the effects of misinformation and how it is studied. It concludes with a discussion of gaps in our knowledge and future directions in research in this area.