Digital democracies in peril: a post-structuralist lens on disinformation and individual agency online

This project aims to propose a new context-sensitive and agency-centred theoretical model to study online disinformation, combining post-structuralist school of thought with Hirschman's Exit, Voice, Loyalty model, to further our understanding of online disinformation as manifestations of discontent and distrust.

In this project, post-structuralism serves as the main political theory to study the context in which disinformation finds (fertile) ground, while Hirschman’s EVL-model provides a framework to study individual behaviour as a reaction to major political crises. Contextualising the success of online disinformation unveils disinformation as a reaction fueled by political discontentment from the public towards the political elite, as there is no other perceived option for meaningful change in politics. This means that disinformation provides an option for citizens to voice discontent with the state or certain policies, and form groups online uniting their views on forums or social media.

Political and economical reforms, including policies, calls for research and academic publications, in Europe and North America will be analyzed to test to which extent neo-liberal reforms have stifled the opportunity for political change and agonistic groups and parties have been pushed to an antagonistic disposition (H1). Further, online groups spreading disinformation, including during election periods in the EU, US and UK, will be observed, using Hirschman’s Exit, Voice and Loyalty model, to test to which extent individuals who denounce mainstream media and qualitative journalism exercise a “voice through exit” option through social media and online forums (H2). Methodologically, we draw on document analysis, online participatory observation and interviews.

This project would add to existing knowledge on disinformation by researching political drivers and analysing individual agency online. Furthermore, it yields highly relevant insights on the topics of online group forming, activism, populism and disinformation. It carries a modest, yet important contribution to the evolving school of post-structuralism by providing a contemporary case study on a divisive societal topic. Finally, it would revitalise and demonstrate the relevance of Hirschman’s model in our understanding of individual agency in the (political) communication process and the online public sphere.