Visual Disinformation in a Digital Age

Autor(en)
Teresa Weikmann, Sophie Lecheler
Abstrakt

While a fast-growing body of research is concerned with the detrimental consequences of disinformation for democracy, the role of visuals in this context has so far only been discussed superficially. Visuals are expected to amplify the impact of disinformation, but it is rarely specified how, and what exactly distinguishes them from text. This article is one of the first to treat visual disinformation as its own type of falsehood, arguing that it differs from textual disinformation in its production, processing and effects. We suggest that visual disinformation is determined by varying levels of modal richness and manipulative sophistication. Because manipulated visuals are processed differently on a psychological level, they have unique effects on citizens’ behaviours and attitudes.

Organisation(en)
Institut für Publizistik- und Kommunikationswissenschaft
Journal
New Media & Society
Band
25
Seiten
3696-3713
Anzahl der Seiten
18
ISSN
1461-4448
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448221141648
Publikationsdatum
2022
Peer-reviewed
Ja
ÖFOS 2012
508007 Kommunikationswissenschaft, 508014 Publizistik
Schlagwörter
ASJC Scopus Sachgebiete
Communication, Sociology and Political Science
Link zum Portal
https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/de/publications/visual-disinformation-in-a-digital-age(c959f598-87d4-4f87-bda0-1645a69add45).html