Disinformation in the Global South

This edited collection brings together perspectives on the phenomenon of disinformation as it manifests in the Global South. While current debates around coordinated political disinformation campaigns, circulation of rumors, and increased amounts of junk news are tightly connected to the development and popularization of digital and social media, in many parts of the Global South these phenomena have existed since well before the digital revolution and are tightly linked to older communication practices. Therefore studying the spread and impact of disinformation in the Global South offers a unique perspective for understanding it.

Herman Wasserman is Professor of Media Studies at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. He holds a doctorate from the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa, and worked as a journalist before starting an academic career. He is a Fellow of the International Communication Association and Editor-in-Chief of the Annals of the International Communication Association and African Journalism Studies.

Dani Madrid-Morales, PhD, is Assistant Professor of Journalism at the University of Houston’s Valenti School of Communication. He received his doctorate in Media and Communication from the City University of Hong Kong. His research focuses on the intersection of transnational media studies, global political communication, and disinformation studies in East Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.

CONTENTS

The book is organized by themes, and each Section will include several chapters of discussion from different perspectives. Contributors have been invited from the US, the south Pacific, Australia, South America, Africa, the UK, and the Middle East

Section 1: Concepts, theories and definitions: Southern perspectives

Section 2: Cultures of disinformation: experiences of media users in the global South

Section 3: Motivations and affordances: why users share false information

Section 4: Responses: infrastructure, legal, policy, professional, and educational

Section 5: Conclusion and in-depth discussion of findings and insights