Research Article


DOI :10.26650/CONNECTIST2023-1390604   IUP :10.26650/CONNECTIST2023-1390604    Full Text (PDF)

Manipulative mechanisms and reasons behind sharing fake news during Russo-Ukrainian War: A three-fold study

Liana MarkarıanıMaia Toradze

In a crisis, an individual’s critical thinking is incapacitated, as the extreme circumstances put them in distress. Consequently, to overcome the panic and create an optimistic environment, any information that is apprehensible under these conditions becomes effortlessly shareable. The Russo-Ukrainian War of the 21st century has proved to be such a crisis and a trigger for disinformation. The study led to significant results concerning the characteristics of pseudopositive false information during war and the psychology of its sharing. By analyzing the sources of fake news published on Facebook, integrated with a survey of 300 Georgians and two focus groups, research concludes that Russian propaganda in Georgia during the Russo-Ukrainian War was strong. Despite this, Georgian social media users display an inclination for positive information about Ukraine, a preference rooted in a perceived common enemy and a shared sense of camaraderie with Ukrainians. By scrutinizing the influences of pseudo-positive fake news, research also identifies the main and most effective manipulators and triggers operating during the war. A noteworthy discovery is the active dissemination of anti-Ukrainian and pro-Russian fake news by the Russian propaganda and disinformation machine in Georgian social media, fueling a Infodemic. 

DOI :10.26650/CONNECTIST2023-1390604   IUP :10.26650/CONNECTIST2023-1390604    Full Text (PDF)

Rusya-Ukrayna Savaşı sırasında sahte haber paylaşımının arkasındaki manipülatif mekanizmalar ve nedenleri: Üç aşamalı bir çalışma

Liana MarkarıanıMaia Toradze

Bir kriz anında, ekstrem koşullar bireyi sıkıntı içerisine soktuğundan, bireyin eleştirel düşünme yetisi devre dışı kalır. Dolayısıyla, paniği aşmak ve iyimser bir ortam yaratmak için bu koşullar altında anlaşılabilir olan her türlü bilgi rahatlıkla paylaşılabilir hale gelir. 21. yüzyılın Rusya Ukrayna Savaşı ise böyle bir kriz ve dezenformasyon için tetikleyici bir olgu olduğunu kanıtlamıştır. Bu çalışma, savaş sırasında ortaya çıkan sahte enformasyonun özellikleri ve bunların paylaşılmasındaki psikolojiye ilişkin oldukça önemli sonuçlar ortaya koymuştur. Facebook’ta yayınlanan sahte haberlerin kaynaklarını analiz ederek, 300 Gürcü ile yapılan bir anket ve iki odak grubu ile entegre edilen araştırma, Rusya-Ukrayna Savaşı sırasında Gürcistan’da, Rus propagandasının güçlü olduğu sonucuna varmıştır. Buna rağmen, Gürcü sosyal medya kullanıcılarının Ukrayna hakkında olumlu bilgilere eğilim gösterdiği ve bu tercihin temelinde ortak düşman algısı ve Ukraynalılarla paylaşılan yoldaşlık duygusu yattığı görülmüştür. Sahte haberlerin etkilerini inceleyen araştırma, savaş sırasında faaliyet gösteren ana ve en etkili manipülatörleri ve tetikleyicileri de belirlemiştir. Rus propaganda ve dezenformasyon makinesinin Gürcistan sosyal medyasında Ukrayna karşıtı ve Rusya yanlısı sahte haberleri aktif bir şekilde yayması ve dezenfodemiyi körüklemesi ise araştırmanın saptadığı diğer bir kayda değer bulgudur.


PDF View

References

  • Alieva, I., Moffitt, J.D. & Carley, K. M. (2022). How disinformation operations against Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny influence the international audience on Twitter. Social Network Analysis and Mining. 12, 80. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13278-022-00908-6; google scholar
  • Aımeur, E., Amri, S., & Brassard, G. (2023). Fake news, disinformation and misinformation in social media: a review. Social Network Analysis And Mining, 13(1), 30. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13278-023-01028-5; google scholar
  • Allen J., Howland B., Mobius M., Rothschild D., & Watts DJ (2020) Evaluating the fake news problem at the scale of the information ecosystem. Sci Adv. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aay3539; google scholar
  • Allcott, H. & Gentzkow, M. (2017). Social media & fake news in the 2016 election. The Journal of Economic Perspectives, Vol. 31, No. 2, pp. 211-235. https://www.jstor.org/stable/4435006 Retrieved on 11 November 2023; google scholar
  • Alyukov, M. (2022). Propaganda, authoritarianism and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Nat Hum Behavior. 6, 763-765 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-022-01375-x; google scholar
  • Babacan, K. & Tam M. S. (2022). The information warfare role of social media: fake news in the Russia - Ukraine War. Erciyes İletişim Dergisi, (3), 75-92. https://doi.org/10.17680/erciyesiletisim.1137903; google scholar
  • Becker, G.S., (1976). The economic approach to human behavior. University of Chicago Press. google scholar
  • Beloff, M., & Inkeles, A. (1951). Public opinion in Soviet Russia: A study in mass persuasion. The Economic Journal, 61(243), 632. doi:10.2307/2226510 google scholar
  • Bennett, W., & Livingston, S. (Eds.). (2020). The disinformation age (SSRC anxieties of democracy). Cambridge University Press. google scholar
  • Berger, A. A. (1995). Essentials of mass communication theory. Sage Publications. google scholar
  • Bernays, Edward. 2004. Propaganda. Brooklyn, NY: Ig Publishing; google scholar
  • Bode, L., & Vraga, E. K. (2015). In related news, that was wrong: The correction of misinformation through related stories functionality in social media. Journal of Communication, 65, 619-638. doi:10.1111/jcom.12166; google scholar
  • Cerase, A., & Santoro, C. (2018). From racial hoaxes to media hypes fake news’ real consequences. Peter Vasterman (Ed.), From media hype to Twitter storm, (pp. 333-354). Amsterdam University Press. google scholar
  • Chesney, R. & Citron, D. (2018, December 11). Deepfakes & the new disinformation war. Foreign Affairs. Retrieved from https://fam.ag/364AOAM google scholar
  • Cialdini, R. B. (2009). Influence: Science and Practice. Pearson. google scholar
  • Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2012). Self-determination theory. P. A. M. Van Lange, A. W. Kruglanski, & E. T. Higgins (Eds.), Handbook of theories of social psychology (p. 416-436). Sage Publications. https://doi. org/10.4135/9781446249215.n21; google scholar
  • Center of Social Sciences. (n.d.). Rational Choice Theory. In Dictionary of Social and Political Terms, Center of Social Sciences. Retrieved, 11 November 2023 from http://dictionary.css.ge/content/rational-choice-theory google scholar
  • Fazio, L. K., Brashier, N. M., Keith Payne, B., & Marsh, E. J. (2015). Knowledge does not protect against illusory truth. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 144(5), 993-1002. https://doi.org/10.1037/xge0000098; google scholar
  • Fredrickson, B. (2009). Positivity. Harmony. google scholar
  • Gentzkow, M., & Shapiro, J. M. (2006). Media Bias and Reputation. Journal of Political Economy, 114(2), 280-316. doi:10.1086/499414 google scholar
  • Geissler, D., Bar, D., Pröllochs, N. et al. Russian propaganda on social media during the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. EPJ Data Sci. 12, 35 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1140/epjds/s13688-023-00414-5; google scholar
  • National Statistics Office of Georgia. (2014). General population census, total population by regions and ethnicity. Retrieved from https://www.geostat.ge/en/modules/categories/739/demographic-and-social-characteristics google scholar
  • Giles, D. (2010). Media psychology. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers Mahwah. google scholar
  • Hasher, L., Goldstein, D., & Toppino, T. (1977). Frequency and the conference of referential validity. Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior, 16(1), 107-112. doi:10.1016/s0022-5371(77)80012-1; google scholar
  • Kello, L. (2017). The virtual weapon and international order. Yale University Press. https://doi.org/10.2307/j. ctt1trkjd1 google scholar
  • Lambert, N. M., Gwinn, A. M., Baumeister, R. F., Strachman, A., Washburn, I. J., Gable, S. L., & Fincham, F. D. (2012). A boost of positive affect. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 30(1), 24-43. doi:10.1177 /0265407512449400; google scholar
  • Lister, T. & Kesa, J. (24 February 2022). Ukraine says it was attacked through Russian, Belarus and Crimea borders. CNN. Retrieved 11 November 2023. from https://edition.cnn.com/europe/live-news/ukraine-russia-news-02-23-22/h_82bf44af2f01ad57f81c0760c6cb697c google scholar
  • Logan, K., Bright, L. F., & Grau, S. L. (2018). “Unfriend me, please!”: Social media fatigue and the theory of rational choice. Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice. 26(4), 357-367. doi:10.1080/10696679.2018.1488219; google scholar
  • MacDonald, E. (2017, January 13). The fake news that sealed the fate of Antony & Cleopatra. The Conversation. Retrieved 11 November 2023 from https://bit.ly/3x972qv google scholar
  • Marwick, A., & Lewis, R. (2017). Media manipulation and disinformation online. Data Society Research Institute google scholar
  • Media Development Foundation (2022). Media literacy research in Georgia. Media Development Foundation. google scholar
  • Retrieved 11 November 2023 from https://mdfgeorgia.ge/uploads//MedialiteracyReport-GEO.pdf google scholar
  • Molina, M. D., Sundar, S. S., Le, T., & Lee, D. (2019). “Fake news” is not simply false information: A concept explication and taxonomy of online content. American Behavioral Scientist, 000276421987822. doi:10.1177/0002764219878224 b; google scholar
  • Murphy, D. (2017). Fake news 101: How to recognize fake news & avoid being fooled by it. Independently published. google scholar
  • New York Times (2019). The psychology of sharing: Why do people share online? New York Times Consumer Insight Group. Retrieved 11 November 2023 from https://bit.ly/360faOn; google scholar
  • Nimmo, B. (December 15, 2022). Recapping our 2022 coordinated inauthentic behavior enforcements. Retrieved 11 November 2023 from https://about.fb.com/news/2022/12/metas-2022-coordinated-inauthentic-behavior-enforcements/ ; google scholar
  • Odergon, A. (2008). Hotel war: Psychological dynamics and armed conflicts. Moscow. Independently published. google scholar
  • Oğuz, K. U. Ş., & Öztürk, İ. D. (2022). COVID-19, misinformation and communication studies: A systematic review of the infodemic. Connectist: Istanbul University Journal of Communication Sciences, (62), 67-90; google scholar
  • Pauly, J. J., & Campbell, W. J. (2002). Yellow journalism: Puncturing the myths, defining the legacies. The Journal of American History, 89(2), 661. doi:10.2307/3092248; google scholar
  • Rajkumar, R. P. (2020, August). COVID-19 and mental health: A review of the existing literature. Asian Journal of Psychiatry, 52, Article 102066. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajp. 2020.102066; google scholar
  • Rid, T. (2019). Active measures: The secret history of disinformation and political warfare. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. google scholar
  • Segerstrom, S. C., Taylor, S. E., Kemeny, M. E., & Fahey, J. L. (1998). Optimism is associated with mood, coping, and immune change in response to stress. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74(6), 1646-1655. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.74.6.1646; google scholar
  • Seligman, M. E. (2012). Flourish: A visionary new understanding of happiness and well-being. Simon and Schuster; google scholar
  • Silverman, C. (2016 December 30). Here are 50 of the biggest fake news hits on Facebook from 2016, Buzzfeed News. google scholar
  • Retrieved 11 November 2023 from https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/craigsilverman/top-fake-news-of-2016 google scholar
  • Sirbiladze. I, (2019). Russian disinformation campaigns in Georgia. Center for European Policy Analysis. Retrieved 11 November 2023 from https://www.pmcresearch.org/policypapers_file/f6ac5dfb34c12e31c.pdf google scholar
  • United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (2018), Journalism, fake news’ and disinformation: A handbook for journalism education and raining. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Retrieved 26 November 2023 from https://web.archive.org/web/20210309150908id_/ https://en.unesco.org/sites/default/files/journalism_fake_news_disinformation_print_friendly_0.pdf google scholar
  • Sloane, W. (2022). Putin cracks down on media. British Journalism Review, 33(3), 19-22. https://doi. org/10.1177/09564748221121468 google scholar
  • Starbird, Kate & Maddock, Jim & Orand, Mania & Achterman, Peg & Mason, Robert. (2014). Rumors, false flags, and digital vigilantes: Misinformation on Twitter after the 2013 Boston marathon bombing. IConference. https://doi.org/10.9776/14308 google scholar
  • Sundar, S. S., & Nass, C. (2001). Conceptualizing sources in online news. Journal of Communication, 51(1), 52-72. doi:10.1111/j.1460-2466.2001.tb02872.x google scholar
  • Talwar, S., Dhir, A., Kaur, P., Zafar, N., & Alrasheedy, M. (2019). Why do people share fake news? Associations between the dark side of social media use and fake news sharing behavior. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 51, 72-82. doi: 10.1016/j.jretconser.2019.05.026; google scholar
  • Tooby, J., & Cosmides, L. (1990). The past explains the present: Emotional adaptations and the structure of ancestral environments. Ethology & Sociobiology, 11(4-5), 375-424. https://doi.org/10.1016/0162-3095(90)90017-Z; google scholar
  • Trevors, G., & Kendeou, P. (2020). The effects of positive and negative emotional text content on knowledge revision. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 174702182091381. doi:10.1177/1747021820913816; google scholar
  • Tucker, J., Guess, A., Barbera, P., Vaccari, C., Siegel, A., Sanovich, S., ... Nyhan, B. (2018). Social media, political polarization, and political disinformation: A review of the scientific literature. SSRN Electronic Journal. doi:10.2139/ssrn.3144139; google scholar
  • Operational Data Portal (19 September 2022). United Nations High Commissioner for refugees situation Ukraine refugee situation. Retrieved November 2023 from https://data.unhcr.org/en/situations/ukraine google scholar
  • Wang, C., Pan, R., Wan, X., Tan, Y., Xu, L., & Ho, C. S. (2020). Immediate psychological responses and associated factors during the initial stage of the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) epidemic among the general population in China. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(5), 1729. https:// doi.org/10.3390%2Fijerph17051729; google scholar
  • Watson, C. A. (2018). Information literacy in a fake/false news world: An overview of the characteristics of fake news and its historical development. International Journal of Legal Information, 46(02), 93-96. doi:10.1017/ jli.2018.25; google scholar

Citations

Copy and paste a formatted citation or use one of the options to export in your chosen format


EXPORT



APA

Markarıanı, L., & Toradze, M. (2023). Manipulative mechanisms and reasons behind sharing fake news during Russo-Ukrainian War: A three-fold study. Connectist: Istanbul University Journal of Communication Sciences, 0(65), 33-60. https://doi.org/10.26650/CONNECTIST2023-1390604


AMA

Markarıanı L, Toradze M. Manipulative mechanisms and reasons behind sharing fake news during Russo-Ukrainian War: A three-fold study. Connectist: Istanbul University Journal of Communication Sciences. 2023;0(65):33-60. https://doi.org/10.26650/CONNECTIST2023-1390604


ABNT

Markarıanı, L.; Toradze, M. Manipulative mechanisms and reasons behind sharing fake news during Russo-Ukrainian War: A three-fold study. Connectist: Istanbul University Journal of Communication Sciences, [Publisher Location], v. 0, n. 65, p. 33-60, 2023.


Chicago: Author-Date Style

Markarıanı, Liana, and Maia Toradze. 2023. “Manipulative mechanisms and reasons behind sharing fake news during Russo-Ukrainian War: A three-fold study.” Connectist: Istanbul University Journal of Communication Sciences 0, no. 65: 33-60. https://doi.org/10.26650/CONNECTIST2023-1390604


Chicago: Humanities Style

Markarıanı, Liana, and Maia Toradze. Manipulative mechanisms and reasons behind sharing fake news during Russo-Ukrainian War: A three-fold study.” Connectist: Istanbul University Journal of Communication Sciences 0, no. 65 (May. 2024): 33-60. https://doi.org/10.26650/CONNECTIST2023-1390604


Harvard: Australian Style

Markarıanı, L & Toradze, M 2023, 'Manipulative mechanisms and reasons behind sharing fake news during Russo-Ukrainian War: A three-fold study', Connectist: Istanbul University Journal of Communication Sciences, vol. 0, no. 65, pp. 33-60, viewed 2 May. 2024, https://doi.org/10.26650/CONNECTIST2023-1390604


Harvard: Author-Date Style

Markarıanı, L. and Toradze, M. (2023) ‘Manipulative mechanisms and reasons behind sharing fake news during Russo-Ukrainian War: A three-fold study’, Connectist: Istanbul University Journal of Communication Sciences, 0(65), pp. 33-60. https://doi.org/10.26650/CONNECTIST2023-1390604 (2 May. 2024).


MLA

Markarıanı, Liana, and Maia Toradze. Manipulative mechanisms and reasons behind sharing fake news during Russo-Ukrainian War: A three-fold study.” Connectist: Istanbul University Journal of Communication Sciences, vol. 0, no. 65, 2023, pp. 33-60. [Database Container], https://doi.org/10.26650/CONNECTIST2023-1390604


Vancouver

Markarıanı L, Toradze M. Manipulative mechanisms and reasons behind sharing fake news during Russo-Ukrainian War: A three-fold study. Connectist: Istanbul University Journal of Communication Sciences [Internet]. 2 May. 2024 [cited 2 May. 2024];0(65):33-60. Available from: https://doi.org/10.26650/CONNECTIST2023-1390604 doi: 10.26650/CONNECTIST2023-1390604


ISNAD

Markarıanı, Liana - Toradze, Maia. Manipulative mechanisms and reasons behind sharing fake news during Russo-Ukrainian War: A three-fold study”. Connectist: Istanbul University Journal of Communication Sciences 0/65 (May. 2024): 33-60. https://doi.org/10.26650/CONNECTIST2023-1390604



TIMELINE


Accepted19.12.2023
Published Online30.12.2023

LICENCE


Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC)

This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon your work non-commercially, and although their new works must also acknowledge you and be non-commercial, they don’t have to license their derivative works on the same terms.


SHARE




Istanbul University Press aims to contribute to the dissemination of ever growing scientific knowledge through publication of high quality scientific journals and books in accordance with the international publishing standards and ethics. Istanbul University Press follows an open access, non-commercial, scholarly publishing.