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://ucris.univie.ac.at/portal/de/publications/visual-disinformation-in-a-digital-age(c959f598-87d4-4f87-bda0-1645a69add45).html