Strategy and Structure: Understanding Online Disinformation and How Commitments to “Free Speech” Complicate Mitigation Approaches

Abstract

The pervasive spread of disinformation online is a critical societal issue, limiting our ability to respond to collective challenges such as pandemics and climate change. This essay defines disinformation as intentional, misleading but often built around a true or plausible core, and functioning as a campaign rather than a single piece of content. Online disinformation exploits social media and other information systems (both online and off) in complex ways, and disinformation can become embedded in the structures of online ecosystems. Disinformation is participatory, incorporating unwitting crowds of sincere believers who routinely amplify and even produce false and misleading narratives. The essay explores how our commitments to freedom of speech complicate the challenge of addressing disinformation. The strategies of disinformation have long exploited freedom of speech to manipulate democratic discourse and justify their actions. Examining the history of these strategies reveals the persistent challenge of addressing disinformation while preserving our democratic commitments to free speech. Finally, the essay offers a few suggestions regarding how platforms can navigate these challenges, focusing on the structural dimensions and attending to the participatory dynamics of disinformation.