Dezinformacija

Dezinformacija, or disinformation, refers to false information that is deliberately created and spread to deceive, manipulate opinions, or undermine trust in institutions. It differs from misinformation, which is false information shared without an explicit intent to mislead. The term is widely used in Balkan languages as well as in English-language discourse on information disorder.

Sources and channels: Disinformation campaigns can involve state actors, political groups, or commercial entities. It propagates through social media, messaging apps, blogs, and sometimes traditional news outlets. Tactics include bot-assisted amplification, fake accounts, and manipulated media such as doctored images or videos (deepfakes).

Strategies and effects: Common techniques are miscaptioning, cherry-picking data, misleading headlines, and the framing of issues to provoke fear or anger. Disinformation can shape public opinion, influence elections, erode trust in legitimate media, and pose risks to public health and safety.

Response and mitigation: Efforts include fact-checking and verification by independent organizations, media literacy education, platform moderation, and transparency about the origin of content. Users are encouraged to verify information through multiple reliable sources and to scrutinize sources and context. While no single solution exists, a combination of education, policy, and technology aims to reduce the spread and impact of dezinformacija.