3.10: Weaponized Misinformation

Digital Media Literacy in the Age of Artificial Intelligence · LibreTexts

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    From LibreTexts, under CC BY 4.0, as the source states it; its equations are written in TeX, which the PDF shows typeset. This page at LibreTexts.

    Misinformation is often accidental, while disinformation is deliberate and strategic. State actors, extremist movements, and profit-driven media outlets deliberately exploit cognitive vulnerabilities to shape public opinion, sow discord, or generate revenue (Starbird, 2019). Artificial intelligence accelerates this process by generating deepfakes, fabricated articles, and bot-driven persuasion campaigns (Chesney & Citron, 2019).

    During the COVID-19 pandemic, disinformation campaigns spread false claims about vaccines, masks, and treatments—undermining public health and costing lives (Brennen, Simon, Howard, & Nielsen, 2020). In the same way, racist pseudoscience and revived eugenic myths thrive in algorithmically amplified digital spaces.

    This page titled 3.10: Weaponized Misinformation was last modified on Wed, 03 Jun 2026 00:59:10 GMT and is shared under a CC BY 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Jae Sik Ha (School of Communication and Media) .