This deserves a blog post, maybe a YouTube video, and has been said many many times before, but I'll try to make it concise.
The difference between #Propaganda, #Misinformation, and #Disinformation, in a bite size Twitter thread.
The difference between #Propaganda, #Misinformation, and #Disinformation, in a bite size Twitter thread.
Misinformation is just a mistake.
Me: Hey Bob, Alice likes cheesecake.
Alice: I hate cheesecake.
Me: My bad, I was misinformed, I thought you LOVED cheesecake.
Telling Bob that Alice loved cheesecake had no ultietior motive, there was no malice, it was just a "whoops".
Me: Hey Bob, Alice likes cheesecake.
Alice: I hate cheesecake.
Me: My bad, I was misinformed, I thought you LOVED cheesecake.
Telling Bob that Alice loved cheesecake had no ultietior motive, there was no malice, it was just a "whoops".
Disinfo is intentional misinfo; I know Alice hates cheesecake.
Me: Hey Bob, for her birthday, you should really get Alice a cheesecake, it's her favourite
(Bob gets a cheesecake and ruins Alice's birthday)
Me: Mission accomplished!
*Intentionally* feeding ppl #misinfo = lying
Me: Hey Bob, for her birthday, you should really get Alice a cheesecake, it's her favourite
(Bob gets a cheesecake and ruins Alice's birthday)
Me: Mission accomplished!
*Intentionally* feeding ppl #misinfo = lying
Propaganda is not misinfo or disinfo; it could be, but it can be truth too. Think of it like an inconvenient truth. Finding dirt on a political opponent and publishing it right before the election is a form of propaganda. It's not misinfo or #disinfo, it's strategic manipulation.
During the Cold War many anti-war publications were accused of spreading propaganda, but really that just meant they were anti-war, and anti-establishment; you can see the same patterns today. Frequent oversimplification, like "if you're not with us you're against us", is endemic
Propaganda is the smart use of the words and facts at your disposal; it's an art that's practiced by everyone. Disinformation is just lying, call it what it is. Misinformation is a mistake, until you're informed it's disinformation, then you're at fault if you don't make it right
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