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Second International Handbook of Internet Research pp 1–17Cite as

Disguised Propaganda from Digital to Social Media

Abstract

Disguised propaganda and political deception in digital media have been studied since the early days of the World Wide Web. At the intersection of internet research and propaganda studies, this chapter explores disguised propaganda on websites and social media platforms. Based on a discussion of key concepts and terminology, this chapter outlines how new modes of deception and source obfuscation emerge in digital and social media environments, and how this development complicates existing conceptual and epistemological frameworks in propaganda studies. The chapter concludes by arguing that contemporary challenges of detecting and countering disguised propaganda can only be resolved, if social media companies are held accountable and provide the necessary support for user contestation.

Keywords

  • Disguised propaganda
  • Manipulation
  • Disinformation
  • Fake news
  • Deception
  • Social media

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Arts and Communication, Malmö University, Malmö, Sweden

    Johan Farkas

  2. Digital Design Department, IT University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Christina Neumayer

Authors
  1. Johan Farkas
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  2. Christina Neumayer
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Correspondence to Johan Farkas .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

    Jeremy Hunsinger

  2. IT University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Lisbeth Klastrup

  3. Bldg. 209, 3rd Floor, Curtin University, Bentley, Western Autralia, Australia

    Matthew M. Allen

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Farkas, J., Neumayer, C. (2018). Disguised Propaganda from Digital to Social Media. In: Hunsinger, J., Klastrup, L., Allen, M. (eds) Second International Handbook of Internet Research. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-1202-4_33-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-1202-4_33-1

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  • Print ISBN: 978-94-024-1202-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-024-1202-4

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