Malicious Content Exploits Pathways Between Platforms To Thrive Online, Subvert Moderation

Malicious COVID-19 online content — including racist content, disinformation and misinformation — thrives and spreads online by bypassing the moderation efforts of individual social media platforms, according to new research published in the journal Scientific Reports.

Researchers Shed Light on the Evolution of Extremist Groups

Early online support for the Boogaloos, one of the groups implicated in the January 2021 attack on the United States Capitol, followed the same mathematical pattern as ISIS, despite the stark ideological, geographical and cultural differences between their forms of extremism. That’s the conclusion of a new study published today by researchers at the George Washington University.

Vaccine Hesitancy Poses Threat to Efforts to End Pandemic: New Commentary

Although demand for COVID-19 vaccines currently seems high, vaccine hesitancy could pose a major threat to public health efforts to end the pandemic, according to an editorial published today in the journal Science.

Vaccine Opposition Online Uniting Around ‘Civil Liberties’ Argument

Anti-vaccination discourse on Facebook increased in volume over the last decade, coalescing around the argument that refusing to vaccinate is a civil right, according to a study published today in the American Journal of Public Health. This finding could have serious public health implications as vaccine opponents who unite around a single argument could quickly mobilize into a political movement able to lobby state lawmakers for vaccine exemptions, the researchers say.

GW Disinformation Institute Joins Project to Monitor Political Facebook Ads

The George Washington University Institute for Data, Democracy & Politics (IDDP) helped launch a new media tool from the New York University Tandon School of Engineering. The NYU Ad Observatory allows reporters, researchers, thought leaders, policy makers and the general public to easily analyze political ads on Facebook ahead of the 2020 U.S. elections.

New Map Reveals Distrust in Health Expertise Is Winning Hearts and Minds Online

Communities on Facebook that distrust establishment health guidance are more effective than government health agencies and other reliable health groups at reaching and engaging “undecided” individuals, according to a study published today in the journal Nature.

Misinformation Concern is Bipartisan, but Democrats Blame Foreign Powers and Republicans Blame the Media, New GW Survey Finds

A new GW Politics Poll shows that Republican and Democratic voters are worried about misinformation’s effects on U.S. politics.

Using Social Media to Understand the Vaccine Debate in China

Vaccine hesitancy is a top challenge for public health officials

Inoculating Against the Spread of Viral Misinformation

Study of Vaccine-Related Facebook Ads Reveals Ongoing Challenges for Public Health

Research Finds Extreme Elitism, Social Hierarchy Among Gab Users

New study discovers small number of influential users share homogeneous content sometimes associated with state-sponsored propaganda

First of Its Kind Mapping Model Tracks How Hate Spreads and Adapts Online

Team of researchers studying hate on social media outlines challenges to dismantling online hate groups worldwide

Knight Foundation Investment to Fund Institute for Data, Democracy, and Politics

New interdisciplinary research institute will fight digital disinformation at a critical time.