Ong, Jonathan Corpus and Cabañes, Jason Vincent. 2019. When disinformation studies meets production studies: Social identities and moral justifications in the political trolling industry. International Journal of Communication, 13, ISSN 1932-8036 [Article]

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Abstract or Description

The field of disinformation studies remains relatively silent about questions of identity, motivation, labor, and morality. Drawing from a one-year ethnographic study of disinformation producers employed in digital black ops campaigns in the Philippines, this article proposes that approaches from production studies can address gaps in disinformation research. We argue that approaching disinformation as a culture of production opens inquiry into the social conditions that entice people to this work and the creative industry practices that normalize fake news as a side gig. This article critically reflects on the methodological risks and opportunities of ethnographic research that subverts expectations of the exceptionally villainous troll and instead uses narratives of creative workers’ complicity and collusion to advance holistic social critique and local-level disinformation interventions.

Item Type:	Article
Keywords:	networked disinformation, fake news, trolls, production studies, digital labour, political marketing, ethnography, complicity, Philippines
Departments, Centres and Research Units:	Media, Communications and Cultural Studies
Dates:	Date Event 17 October 2019 Accepted 2019 Published
Item ID:	36889
Date Deposited:	20 Jun 2024 10:56
Last Modified:	20 Jun 2024 10:56
Peer Reviewed:	Yes, this version has been peer-reviewed.
URI:	https://research.gold.ac.uk/id/eprint/36889

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