Holistic Analysis of Organised Misinformation Activity in Social Networks

Anselmo Peñas, Jan Deriu, Rajesh Sharma, Guilhem Valentin, Julio Reyes-Montesinos

Abstract: To tackle the problem of disinformation, society must be aware not only of the existence of intentional misinformation campaigns, but also of the agents that introduce the misleading information, their supporting media, the nodes they use in social networks, the propaganda techniques they employ and their overall narratives and intentions. Disinformation is a challenge that must be addressed holistically: identifying and describing a disinformation campaign requires studying misinformation locally, at the message level, as well as globally, by modelling its propagation process to identify its sources and main players. In this paper, we argue that the integration of these two levels of analysis hinges on studying underlying features such as disinformation’s intentionality, and benefited and injured agents. Taking these features into account could make automated decisions more explainable for end users and analysts. Moreover, simultaneously identifying misleading messages, knowing their narratives and hidden intentions, modelling their diffusion in social networks, and monitoring the sources of disinformation will also allow a faster reaction, even anticipation, against the spreading of disinformation.