Spinoza and political disinformation: exploring the connections between affects, communication, and information circulation in social media

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5902/2317175883855

Keywords:

Spinoza, Disinformation, Fake news, Affections, Social media, Political communication

Abstract

This article examines the relationship between Spinoza's philosophy and misinformation in contemporary political communication. Parallels are drawn between the individual affections described by Spinoza and the logic of political misinformation. It argues that misinformation and fake news are not mere informational strategies, but acts aimed at mobilizing and confronting. Processes such as selective attention, cascade activation, and framing are analyzed in the context of social media, and connections are made with Spinoza's propositions. The importance of affective imitation, identification, and compassion in group formation and content propagation is highlighted. This study provides a valuable philosophical perspective for understanding the dynamics of political misinformation, emphasizing the need to comprehensively address the interaction between philosophy, political communication, and misinformation.

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Author Biography

Lucas Durr Missau, Federal University of Santa Maria

He is a Ph.D. student in Social Science at Universidad de Buenos Aires (Argentina). He holds a Ph.D. in Communication from the Universidad Nacional de La Plata (Argentina). Lucas is the Co-Founder and Co-Director of the Journalism Experimentation Lab (Universidade Federal de Santa Maria) where he currently conducts research and development projects focused on media and journalism in the digital environment.

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Published

2023-12-29

How to Cite

Missau, L. D. (2023). Spinoza and political disinformation: exploring the connections between affects, communication, and information circulation in social media. Revista Sociais E Humanas, 36(1), e83855. https://doi.org/10.5902/2317175883855