Social networks, disinformation and diplomacy: a dynamic model for a current problem
Abstract The potential of social networks for the circulation of disinformation as a strategy of diplomacy has been of great interest to the academic community, but the way in which it is propagated and modelled is still in its beginnings. This article aimed to simulate the propagation of disinforma...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Springer Nature
2023-08-01
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| Series: | Humanities & Social Sciences Communications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-023-01998-z |
| _version_ | 1797577476229038080 |
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| author | Alfredo Guzmán Rincón Sandra Barragán Moreno Belén Rodríguez-Canovas Ruby Lorena Carrillo Barbosa David Ricardo Africano Franco |
| author_facet | Alfredo Guzmán Rincón Sandra Barragán Moreno Belén Rodríguez-Canovas Ruby Lorena Carrillo Barbosa David Ricardo Africano Franco |
| author_sort | Alfredo Guzmán Rincón |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The potential of social networks for the circulation of disinformation as a strategy of diplomacy has been of great interest to the academic community, but the way in which it is propagated and modelled is still in its beginnings. This article aimed to simulate the propagation of disinformation in social networks derived from the diplomacy strategy, based on the elements of the system. The main research question that was opened up was how do the elements of disinformation derived from the social media diplomacy strategy interact to affect a susceptible population? For the design of the simulation model, system dynamics was used as the main technique in the re-search methodology in conjunction with statistical analysis. Five computational simulations were run for the adoption methods of susceptible and uninformed population, misinformation techniques and echo chamber. The model developed found that the diplomacy disinformation agent is able to spread its message efficiently through the bot outreach mechanism and only a part of the susceptible population unsubscribes to the disinformation agent’s account. Significant differences were identified in the absence of paid outreach, bots and trolls in the propagation of information, and in the variation in the timing of disinformation propagation. Consequently, the developed model allows the understanding of the problem of disinformation as a strategy of diplomacy from international rather than local dynamics, as well as the effects of the use of each element in the system. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T22:08:51Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-dfdcc0529f224d35bcb795e63c701105 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2662-9992 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T22:08:51Z |
| publishDate | 2023-08-01 |
| publisher | Springer Nature |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Humanities & Social Sciences Communications |
| spelling | doaj.art-dfdcc0529f224d35bcb795e63c7011052023-11-19T12:42:12ZengSpringer NatureHumanities & Social Sciences Communications2662-99922023-08-0110111410.1057/s41599-023-01998-zSocial networks, disinformation and diplomacy: a dynamic model for a current problemAlfredo Guzmán Rincón0Sandra Barragán Moreno1Belén Rodríguez-Canovas2Ruby Lorena Carrillo Barbosa3David Ricardo Africano Franco4Corporación Universitaria de AsturiasUniversidad de Bogotá Jorge Tadeo LozanoUniversidad Complutense de MadridUniversidad de Ciencias Aplicadas y Ambientales U.D.C.AUniversidad de Ciencias Aplicadas y Ambientales U.D.C.AAbstract The potential of social networks for the circulation of disinformation as a strategy of diplomacy has been of great interest to the academic community, but the way in which it is propagated and modelled is still in its beginnings. This article aimed to simulate the propagation of disinformation in social networks derived from the diplomacy strategy, based on the elements of the system. The main research question that was opened up was how do the elements of disinformation derived from the social media diplomacy strategy interact to affect a susceptible population? For the design of the simulation model, system dynamics was used as the main technique in the re-search methodology in conjunction with statistical analysis. Five computational simulations were run for the adoption methods of susceptible and uninformed population, misinformation techniques and echo chamber. The model developed found that the diplomacy disinformation agent is able to spread its message efficiently through the bot outreach mechanism and only a part of the susceptible population unsubscribes to the disinformation agent’s account. Significant differences were identified in the absence of paid outreach, bots and trolls in the propagation of information, and in the variation in the timing of disinformation propagation. Consequently, the developed model allows the understanding of the problem of disinformation as a strategy of diplomacy from international rather than local dynamics, as well as the effects of the use of each element in the system.https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-023-01998-z |
| spellingShingle | Alfredo Guzmán Rincón Sandra Barragán Moreno Belén Rodríguez-Canovas Ruby Lorena Carrillo Barbosa David Ricardo Africano Franco Social networks, disinformation and diplomacy: a dynamic model for a current problem Humanities & Social Sciences Communications |
| title | Social networks, disinformation and diplomacy: a dynamic model for a current problem |
| title_full | Social networks, disinformation and diplomacy: a dynamic model for a current problem |
| title_fullStr | Social networks, disinformation and diplomacy: a dynamic model for a current problem |
| title_full_unstemmed | Social networks, disinformation and diplomacy: a dynamic model for a current problem |
| title_short | Social networks, disinformation and diplomacy: a dynamic model for a current problem |
| title_sort | social networks disinformation and diplomacy a dynamic model for a current problem |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-023-01998-z |
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