The political economy of digital profiteering: communication resource mobilization by anti-vaccination actors

Aliaksandr Herasimenka, Yung Au, Anna George, Kate Joynes-Burgess, Aleksi Knuutila, Jonathan Bright, Philip N Howard

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleScientificpeer-review

Abstract

Contemporary communication requires both a supply of content and a digital information infrastructure. Modern campaigns of misinformation are especially dependent on that back-end infrastructure for tracking and targeting a sympathetic audience and generating revenue that can sustain the campaign financially—if not enable profiteering. However, little is known about the political economy of misinformation, particularly those campaigns spreading misleading or harmful content about public health guidelines and vaccination programs. To understand the political economy of health misinformation, we analyze the content and infrastructure networks of 59 groups involved in communicating misinformation about vaccination programs. With a unique collection of tracker and communication infrastructure data, we demonstrate how the political economy of misinformation depends on platform monetization infrastructures. We offer a theory of communication resource mobilization that advances understanding of the communicative context, organizational interactions, and political outcomes of misinformation production.
Original languageOther/Unknown
JournalJournal of communication
Volume73
Issue number2
Pages (from-to)126-137
Number of pages12
ISSN0021-9916
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 24 Dec 2022
MoE publication typeA1 Journal article-refereed

Fields of Science

  • 518 Media and communications
  • hybrid media
  • vaccines
  • misinformation
  • COVID-19
  • communication
  • resource mobilization

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