Download full text
(external source)
Citation Suggestion
Please use the following Persistent Identifier (PID) to cite this document:
https://doi.org/10.17645/mac.v10i4.5654
Exports for your reference manager
Populist Disinformation: Are Citizens With Populist Attitudes Affected Most by Radical Right-Wing Disinformation?
[journal article]
Abstract Disinformation emphasizing radical populist narratives may threaten democratic values. Although extant literature has pointed to a strong affinity between disinformation and the populist radical right, we know little about the effects of such deceptive information. Against this backdrop, this articl... view more
Disinformation emphasizing radical populist narratives may threaten democratic values. Although extant literature has pointed to a strong affinity between disinformation and the populist radical right, we know little about the effects of such deceptive information. Against this backdrop, this article relies on an experiment in the Netherlands (N = 456) in which participants were exposed to radical right-wing populist disinformation versus decontextualized malinformation. Mimicking the participatory logic of disinformation campaigns in the digital society, we also varied the source of the message (a neutral news message versus a social media post of an ordinary citizen). Main findings indicate that exposure to radical right-wing populist messages can prime support for radical-right-wing issue positions, but ordinary citizen sources do not amplify disinformation’s effects. Our findings indicate that malign populist messages may have a delegitimizing impact on democracy, irrespective of how they are presented.... view less
Keywords
disinformation; Netherlands; social media; populism; political right; right-wing radicalism; news; impact
Classification
Political Process, Elections, Political Sociology, Political Culture
Interactive, electronic Media
Impact Research, Recipient Research
Free Keywords
ordinary citizens; populist attitudes; right-wing populism
Document language
English
Publication Year
2022
Page/Pages
p. 129-140
Journal
Media and Communication, 10 (2022) 4
Issue topic
Online Communities and Populism
ISSN
2183-2439
Status
Published Version; peer reviewed