FCRP - Dis/Information

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Fake News or Disinformation 2.0? Some Insights into Romanians’ Digital Behaviour
(European Institute of Romania, 2018-06) Bârgăoanu, Alina; Radu, Loredana
This paper focuses on digital behaviour, self-assessment of vulnerabilities to digital disinformation, and patterns of trust as exposed by Romanian citizens. By corroborating the data of the first national public opinion survey on fake news and disinformation (implemented between February and March 2018) with the Special Eurobarometer no. 464 – Fake News and Disinformation Online – implemented in the same time frame (February 2018), we capture the perceptions and attitudes of Romanian citizens over the use of new media and news trustworthiness, and we also compare the Romanians’ online behaviour with the average European’s. As similar research reveals, digital disinformation affects resilience of citizens in Member States and in the European Union overall, it “threatens the democratic political processes and values” (European Commission, 2018: 12), the integrity of elections and political processes, and should therefore, be approached as a legitimate public concern. Our paper opens the floor for more dedicated research and applied policies - at both the Member States and EU levels - aimed at mitigating the rising and ever worrying fake news phenomenon.
The COVID-19 Infodemic–An Accelerated Version of the New Digital Ecosystem
(College of Communication and Public Relations, NUPSPA, 2020) Bârgăoanu, Alina; Durach, Flavia
The COVID-19 pandemic is unprecedented in terms of its quasi-simultaneous global reach and its multilayered character (medical, economic, political, geopolitical and social). It is also unprecedented because it is the first pandemic of the digital age, thus offering an accelerated version of the digital eco-system: interconnectedness across countries, regions, and even continents; globalization/ trans-nationalization of the national/ local communication spaces coupled by the circulation of global polluted narratives which are strikingly similar in terms of content in spite of their appearance of being tailored, even “extremely personalized” to fit local characteristics; and the preeminence of digital platforms within the communication ecosystem, including the semi-private or downright private ones such as WhatsApp or Facebook private messaging applications. Out of these emerging features, we will focus our analysis on the last interconnected two: globalization of seemingly local narratives and the emergence of the WhatsApp or Facebook private instant messaging applications as prominent transmission/ contagion means. We will do so by carrying an in-depth case study of Romania, which may offer an insight into more generalizable trends.
Branding Romania as a ”Tech Country”. Nation Branding in Times of Digital Disruption
(‘Henri Coanda’ Air Force Academy Publishing House, 2020) Cheregi, Bianca Florentina; Bârgăoanu, Alina
In the age of “digital disinformation 2.0” (Bârgăoanu, 2018) and “digital deceit” (Ghosh & Scott, 2018), nation branding has become part of a new paradigm of strategic communication between states, trying to seduce various audiences. According to Korjus (2017), the next big industry to face digital disruption will be our nations. For instance, Estonia’s brand image is based on the idea of a digital state, both for domestic and foreign audiences. In Denmark, Casper Klynge has become the first nation state ambassador to Silicon Valley, describing his job as “techplomacy” (Baugh, 2017). The nation-state is responding to the new communications environment by reinventing itself in the current climate of intercultural dialogue for Europe. An interesting case is to be found in contemporary Romania, ranked 46th in the world, in terms of digital competitiveness at global level (World Digital Competitiveness Ranking, 2019). Overall, the aim of our research is to investigate technology as a soft power (Nye, 2004) instrument for Romania and to analyze how journalists and public actors construct the topic of new technology as a competitive advantage. In doing so, our research revolves around 50 news articles, published in the Romanian quality press (Adevărul, Gândul, România Liberă), employing mixed methods such as framing analysis (Entman, 1993) and critical discourse analysis. The results show that journalists have an active role in constructing technology as a public issue in Romania, related to future policy-making and regulation endeavors, as well as the future of public diplomacy.
Branding Romania in the Age of Disruption.Technology as a Soft Power Instrument
(Editura Accent, 2020) Cheregi, Bianca Florentina; Bârgăoanu, Alina
"In the age of disruption and in today’s platform society (Van Dijck et al., 2019), communication between nation states is influenced by the development of technology. The nation state is responding to the new communication environment through “techplomacy” and through the use of Artificial Intelligence as a strategic asset in the global tech race. Artificial Intelligence (AI), including the strategies to come up with viable AI, has a big potential for nation branding, being also a competitive advantage for countries worldwide. In this context, the aim of our research is to investigate technology as a soft power (Nye, 2004) instrument for Romania and to analyze how the nation brand is constructed in relation to technology. In doing so, our research revolves around the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Strategy for Romania, presented at the IT&C Summit on May 8, 2019, and 50 news articles, published in the quality press (Adevărul, Gândul, România Liberă) employing mixed methods such as framing analysis (Entman, 1993) and critical discourse analysis (Van Dijk, 1993). The results show that there are four dominant media frames: (1) artificial intelligence, (2) the 5G technology, (3) education and (4) smart city, while both journalists and public actors have an active role in constructing technology as a public issue in Romania."
‘They can’t fool me, but they can fool the others!’ Third person effect and fake news detection
(SAGE Publications, 2020) Corbu, Nicoleta; Oprea, Denisa Adriana; Negrea-Busuioc, Elena; Radu, Loredana
The aftermath of the 2016 US Presidential Elections and the Brexit campaign in Europe have opened the floor to heated debates about fake news and the dangers that these phenomena pose to elections and to democracy, in general. Despite a growing body of scholarly literature on fake news and its close relatives misinformation, disinformation or, more encompassing, communication and information disorders, few studies have so far attempted to empirically account for the effects that fake news might have, especially with respect to what communication scholars call the third person effect. This study aims to provide empirical evidence for the third person effect in the case of people’s self-perceived ability to detect fake news and of their perception of others’ ability to detect it. Based on a survey run in August 2018 and comprising a national, diverse sample of Romanian adults (N = 813), this research reveals that there is a significant third person effect regarding people’s self-reported ability to spot fake news and that this effect is stronger when people compare their fake news detection literacy to that of distant others than to that close others. Furthermore, this study shows that the most important predictors of third person effect related to fake news detection are education, income, interest in politics, Facebook dependency and confirmation bias, with age being a non-significant predictor.
Does Fake News Lead to More Engaging Effects on Social Media? Evidence from Romania
(De Gruyter Mouton, 2020) Corbu, Nicoleta; Bârgăoanu, Alina; Buturoiu, Raluca; Ștefăniță, Oana
This study examines the potential of fake news to produce effects on social media engagement as well as the moderating role of education and government approval. We report on a 2x2x2 online experiment conducted in Romania (N=813), in which we manipulated the level of facticity of a news story, its valence, and intention to deceive. Results show that ideologically driven news with a negative valence (rather than fabricated news or other genres, such as satire and parody) have a greater virality potential. However, neither the level of education nor government approval moderate this effect. Additionally, both positive and negative ideologically driven news stories enhance the probability that people will sign a document to support the government (i. e., potential for political engagement on social media). These latter effects are moderated by government approval: Lower levels of government approval lead to less support for the government on social media, as a consequence of fake news exposure.
Tackling Disinformation: EU Regulation of the Digital Space
(European Institute of Romania, 2020-06) Durach, Flavia; Bârgăoanu, Alina; Nastasiu, Cătălina
This paper provides an overview of current responses to fake news and digital disinformation inside and outside the EU, and assesses the advantages and disadvantages of each solution. Four approaches emerge: (1) self-regulation (i.e. actions undertaken on a voluntary basis by the digital platforms); (2) co-regulation (i.e. cooperation framework between EU-level and national-level authorities, the internet platform companies, media organizations, researchers, and other stakeholders); (3) direct regulation (i.e. legal measures & sanctions); and (4) audience-centred solutions (i.e. factchecking and media literacy). We argue in favour of the co-regulation approach, while drawing attention to some current challenges in the response against disinformation. Furthermore, we need to go beyond the understanding of disinformation as an information/ truth fraud, and draw additional measures to reflect the particular understanding of disinformation as a form of users’ engagement fraud.
Key Words Associated with the COVID-19 Pandemic. Comparing the Media and the Public Agenda
(Babeş-Bolyai University, 2021) Buturoiu, Raluca; Gavrilescu, Mihai
Based on recent ramifications of the traditional agenda-setting model, this paper aims at analyzing the convergence of the media and the public agenda in times of crisis. Specifically, drawing upon the network agenda-setting theory, this article explores the main key words associated with COVID-19—related topics in both the media and the public agendas. Main findings suggest that the media used context dependent key words to refer to the pandemic. At the beginning of the pandemic, in March 2020, both television and online news stories referred to issues related to the virus itself, to the measures taken to limit its spread, and to some medical conditions, while in January 2021 media focused on key words related to vaccination and immunization. In terms of public agenda, results show that people tended to refer to pandemic-related issues mainly in negative terms, due to both media exposure and, presumably, personal experiences. These results offer valuable insights into the dynamics of both media and public agenda in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, providing fertile ground for better understanding how media shape several public attitudes and behaviors.
Media Exposure to Conspiracy vs. Anti-conspiracy Information. Effects on the Willingness to Accept a COVID-19 Vaccine
(Polskie Towarzystwo Komunikacji Społecznej, 2021) Udrea, Georgiana; Buturoiu, Raluca; Dumitrache, Alexandru Cristian; Corbu, Nicoleta
The COVID-19 pandemic opened the doors for a corresponding “infodemic”, associated with various misleading narratives related to the SARS-CoV-2 virus. As the way to stop the pandemic was unveiled, misleading narratives switched from the disease itself to the vaccine. Nevertheless, a rather scarce corpus of literature has approached the effects of these narratives on the willingness to take a vaccine against COVID-19. This study investigates how exposure to conspiracy narratives versus information that counter these narratives influences people’s willingness to get vaccinated. Based on an experimental design, using a sample of Romanian students (N=301), this research shows that exposure to factual information related to COVID-19 vaccines meant to debunk conspiracy theories leads to higher willingness to vaccinate. Furthermore, this study shows that young, educated Romanians consider distant others to be more influenced by conspiracy theories on this topic, and, therefore, more prone to exhibit hesitancy towards COVID-19 vaccination.
The Use of Social Networking Websites in Romanian Public Administration
(2021) Zeru, Florin
Social media have proven to be a valuable new environment for communication, in such a measure that even public institutions have adopted them to engage with their various audiences. As of 2012, Romania is part of the international agreement named Partnership for an open government, whose key purposes include increasing transparency, encouraging civic participation in public life, and the use of new technologies in administration. Social media have both the potential and the necessary tools to ensure an increased level of quality interaction between public administration and its users. However, statistics on the use of social networks in Romanian public organizations are scarce. Considering Facebook as the main network having both the capacity and the efficiency needed to increase participation, this study is envisaged to review how social networks have been adopted by Romanian public administration, with a close look at the engagement received from the online interaction with the citizens. We aim to address the currently existing knowledge gap in the field of public communication through social media networks. For this study’s purpose, several Romanian public institution’s Facebook pages will be analyzed, aiming to conclude into a comprehensive image of the level and quality of public engagement with the respective public institutions and the Romanian public administration as a whole. We found out that photo and video were the most frequently used and had the most scores in engagement than other media types. Regarding citizen engagement, the Like button is the most frequent way for citizens to interact with public institutions. Social media provide a space for common communication between public administrations and stakeholders and have the effect of increasing transparency, collaboration and participation if are used properly
Who Believes in Conspiracy Theories about the COVID-19 Pandemic in Romania? An Analysis of Conspiracy Theories Believers’ Profiles
(2021) Buturoiu, Raluca; Udrea, Georgiana; Oprea, Denisa Adriana; Corbu, Nicoleta
The current COVID-19 pandemic has been accompanied by the circulation of an unprecedented amount of “polluted” information, especially in the social media environment, among which are false narratives and conspiracy theories about both the pandemic and vaccination against COVID-19. The effects of such questionable information primarily concern the lack of compliance with restrictive measures and a negative attitude towards vaccination campaigns, as well as more complex social effects, such as street protests or distrust in governments and authorities in general. Even though there is a lot of scholarly attention given to these narratives in many countries, research about the profile of people who are more prone to believe or spread them is rather scarce. In this context, we investigate the role of age, compared with other socio-demographic factors (such as education and religiosity), as well as the role of the media (the frequency of news consumption, the perceived usefulness of social media, and the perceived incidence of fake information about the virus in the media) and the critical thinking disposition of people who tend to believe such misleading narratives. To address these issues, we conducted a national survey (N = 945) in April 2021 in Romania. Using a hierarchical OLS regression model, we found that people who perceive higher incidence of fake news (ß = 0.33, p < 0.001), find social media platforms more useful (ß = 0.13, p < 0.001), have lower education (ß = −0.17, p < 0.001), and have higher levels of religiosity (ß = 0.08, p < 0.05) are more prone to believe COVID-19-related misleading narratives. At the same time, the frequency of news consumption (regardless of the type of media), critical thinking disposition, and age do not play a significant role in the profile of the believer in conspiracy theories about the COVID-19 pandemic. Somewhat surprisingly, age does not play a role in predicting belief in conspiracy theories, even though there are studies that suggest that older people are more prone to believe conspiracy narratives. As far as media is concerned, the frequency of news media consumption does not significantly differ for believers and non-believers. We discuss these results within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Media Coverage in Times of Crisis. Intermedia Agenda-setting of COVID-19 – related Topics
(College of Communication and Public Relations, NUPSPA, 2021) Buturoiu, Raluca; Voloc, Anca
In times of crisis, the media play a crucial role in offering people information and updates related to the ongoing events. Thus, the media implicitly shape public opinion on the issues they cover and, as a result, influence public attitudes and behaviors. In this context, this paper aims at analyzing the media coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, by means of quantitative content analysis (N=1511) conducted on both television and online news stories released during March 18-31 2020, this study sheds light on the agenda-setting effects of the media and the phenomenon known as intermedia agenda-setting. Main results show that, in spring 2020, both television and online news stories extensively covered COVID-19 topics, focusing on domestic issues such as decisions taken by the authorities in order to manage the pandemic, effects of the virus, and statistics. Furthermore, results show a relatively high intermedia agenda-setting effect within the Romanian media environment. Content published online (either in the form of social media content or online stories) is frequently “borrowed” and cited in both online and television news stories, leading us to the idea that digital media might have become mainstream information sources.
East-West Divide in the European Union: Legacy or Developmental Failure?
(European Institute of Romania, 2021) Volintiru, Clara; Bârgăoanu, Alina; Ștefan, George; Durach, Flavia
EU goes through a realignment process in the context of the demise of multilateralism, yet the impact of this process on the 11 new Member States from Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) is rarely discussed. There is a persistent East-West divide in the EU that is mainly socio-economic, even though often narrated as a political divide between older and newer Member States. The article explores in depth the current developmental metrics in CEE and argues that the progress that has been achieved in overall levels of convergence in the EU is yet to be reflected at subnational level, where great disparities persist. It is the developmental divide that continues to inform political divisions in Europe.
The path from distrusting Western actors to conspiracy beliefs and noncompliance with public health guidance during the COVID-19 crisis
(Taylor & Francis Online, 2021-06-15) Achimescu, Vlad; Sultănescu, Dan; Sultănescu, Daniela
Global crises provide a fertile environment for the proliferation of disinformation and conspiracy narratives that feed on the people’s distrust of institutions. We investigate perceptions and beliefs related to COVID-19 in Romania during the lockdown and the state of alert (April and July 2020) using survey data. Building on measures tested in previous research, we identify the public’s vulnerability to conspiracy narratives and its willingness to comply with public health guidance. We test whether individuals exhibiting pro-Russian or anti-Western attitudes believe more strongly in COVID-19 conspiracy narratives compared to the rest of the population. Then, we check if those believing conspiracy narratives are less susceptible to comply with public health recommendations. We find an indirect relationship between distrusting Western actors and noncompliance with COVID-19 guidelines. Thus, pro-Russian and anti-EU, U.S. and NATO attitudes are linked to stronger conspiracy beliefs, which relate to lower levels of concern and knowledge regarding the virus, which in turn are associated with reduced compliance with official guidelines. This suggests that openness to anti-Western narratives may have behavioral consequences. The findings highlight potential sources of unsafe behaviors during the pandemic, especially in the young democracies of Eastern Europe.
Fake News Going Viral: The Mediating Effect Of Negative Emotions
(University of Ss. Cyril and Methodius in Trnava, 2021-11-13) Udrea, Georgiana; Bârgăoanu, Alina; Corbu, Nicoleta; Durach, Flavia
In recent years, “fake news” has become a buzzword used to describe a variety of disinformation practices identifiable both in the traditional media, and in the digital environment. The goal of our paper is to investigate fake news, aiming at both clarifying the concept and discussing the possible integration of ideologically driven information under this large umbrella, as well as investigating conditions under which various types of fake news have the potential to go viral. In this study we consider ideologically driven news as a form of disinformation, by the mere reason that there is a clear intention to deceive behind this type of news. At the same time, we argue that, compared to no more than one-two decades ago, ideologically driven information is potentially much more harmful, by virtue of the potential of being shared, easily further disseminated within echo-chambers and with the help of filter bubbles. In line with recent studies, we contend that, at its core, the fake news problem concerns the economics of emotion, specifically how emotions are used and often abused to foster audience’s attention, engagement, and willingness to share content. In this context, and under the recent political circumstances in Romania (marked by anti-government protests and public opposition to the ruling political party), our aim is to better understand how people’s susceptibility to disseminate deceitful information is enhanced by various forms and valences of politically biased fake news, and what is the role of specific emotions in explaining this process. Bulding on Tandoc et al.’s classification of fake news, we propose a 2x2x2 experimental design, in which we manipulated intention to deceive, level of facticity and valence. The survey experiment (N=813) tests two positive (enthusiasm and contentment) and two negative (anger and fear) discrete emotions as mediators of the main effect of potential of viralisation effects (i.e. how likely users are to share fake news on a social network). Results show that negatively biased fake news enhances people’s willingness to share the news story, while positively biased fake news has no significant effect on the viralisation potential. Moreover, the potential for viralisation is mediated by negative emotions, but not by positive ones.
Crisis of confidence in vaccination and the role of social media
(Elsevier, 2021-12) Durach, Flavia; Buturoiu, Raluca; Craiu, Dana; Cazacu, Cristina; Bârgăoanu, Alina
Introduction: The aim of this paper is to review the current situation of vaccine hesitancy, with emphasis on children with neurological disorders, and to present the role social media plays in this situation. Methods: A literature review using the following search words was performed: vaccine* OR immune* AND hesitancy OR confidence AND social media. Results: The search retrieved 277 results; 17 duplicates and 234 irrelevant articles were excluded. 43 articles were fully analyzed. Conclusions: An increasing number of parents are becoming vaccine hesitant. Their motives are complex and nuanced and involve factors related to vaccine safety and efficiency, perceived personal risks and benefits, socio-demographic and psychological characteristics. Attitudes toward vaccination differ in adolescents from their parents. In children with neurological disorders, factors involved in vaccination decision included physicians' knowledge of neurological diseases and parents’ concerns that vaccination would exacerbate the chronic disorder. Unfortunately, the current pandemic is associated with an increase in vaccine hesitancy and brought forward unique determinants. The social media platforms can be a tool for the anti-vaccine movement to spread misinformation, but it can also be valued as a way for promoting health and pro-vaccine information.
Trust in information sources during the COVID-19 pandemic. A Romanian case study
(De Gruyter Mouton, 2022) Buturoiu, Raluca; Corbu, Nicoleta; Oprea, Denisa Adriana; Boțan, Mădălina
Higher levels of trust in credible sources of information in times of crisis such as the current COVID-19 pandemic increase public compliance with official recommendations, minimizing health risks and helping authorities manage the crisis. Based on a national survey (N=1160), this article explores (a) actual levels of trust in various sources of information (government websites, legacy media, social media, and interpersonal communication) during the pandemic and (b) a number of predictors of such trust. Results show that during the period studied government websites were the most trusted source of information. Trust in an information source is correlated with consumption of COVID-19–related news from that specific source, media fact-checking, and self-perception about the incidence of COVID-19–related fake news. Only income and age are significant trust predictors, and only with respect to specific source types.
Profiles of News Consumption in a High-Choice Media Environment: Evidence from Romania
(IČO, 2022) Buturoiu, Raluca; Corbu, Nicoleta; Boțan, Mădălina
During the last two decades, media and information environments have changed in a fundamental way. Generalized low levels of trust in media sources, incidental news exposure, and higher probability to be exposed only to views similar to their own and echo chambers are just some of the most important challenges within the current, high-choice media landscape. All of them have major ramifications for the information environment as a whole and, particularly, for the way in which they could influence people in becoming informed citizens. In this paper, we explore how news consumption patterns of mainstream and social media are associated with trust in media sources and other news consumption related phenomena, such as incidental news exposure and echo chambers. Theoretically, this study starts from the idea that today, within the current media environment, people tend to consume cross-media information1. In other terms, people’s news media diet consists of different media sources and media content2 . Some recent research studies investigating people’s media diets put forward “profiles” showing how people consume media content, in an attempt to find out patterns of news consumption and how they might affect various democracy related aspects.3 Drawing on a news repertoires approach, the presented study aims at investigating news media consumption patterns among Romanian people. By means of a national survey (N=1,000), this study explores the main characteristics of news media consumers in Romania, in an attempt to shed more light on people’s media diets (what they actually consume) within the current, high-choice media landscape. The main findings from our study reveal that minimalist news users are the most prevalent category among the investigated sample. Compared with all the other types of news users, minimalist news users have the lowest levels of trust in both mainstream and social media sources. At the same time, they are less prone to be accidentally exposed to news stories, but more prone to be stuck in echo chambers, in environments where they encounter information that reflects or reinforces their own views. From a socio-demographic point of view, all types of consumers share more or less the same characteristics, with an age-related significant difference. These results offer important insights into the way in which news consumption patterns are associated with certain perceptions and attitudes that might result in letting citizens be less informed or even uninformed. Implications for democracy are further discussed.
THIRD PERSON PERCEPTIONS ABOUT THE ABILITY TO DETECT FAKE NEWS: THE ROLE OF MEDIA DIET AND CONSPIRACY THEORIES
(2022) Corbu, Nicoleta; Buturoiu, Raluca; Oprea, Denisa Adriana
Multiple forms of disinformation have proliferated on digital media platforms during the COVID-19 pandemic, when news consumption increased considerably. In this specific context, this paper investigates the way media diet influences the third person perceptions about people’s ability to detect fake news. We focus here on some understudied predictors of third person perception about fake news detection, such as diversity of media diet and belief in conspiracy theories. By means of a national survey (N=1006) conducted in Romania in October 2020, we test this effect for close and distant others, and the role both mainstream and online media play in this context. Main findings show that frequency of news consumption, trust in the media, and belief in conspiracy theories decrease the perceptual gap between self and others, while education and the diversity of the media diet intensifies it.
Teachers’ views on disinformation and media literacy supported by a tool designed for professional fact-checkers: perspectives from France, Romania, Spain and Sweden
(2022-09) Nygren, Thomas; Frau-Meigs, Divina; Corbu, Nicoleta; Santovena-Casal, Sonia
The current media eco-system has become more and more polluted by the various avatars of “fake news”. This buzz term has been widely used by academics, experts, teachers and ordinary people, in an attempt to understand and address the phenomenon of information disorder in the new media environment. However, studies have rarely questioned what teachers, key stakeholders in the media literacy field, actually understand by “fake news”, and to what extent the new digital tools available to fact-check are actually viable solutions to fight disinformation actively. In this context, we conducted focus groups (N = 34 people interviewed in 4 focus groups) with teachers in four countries (France, Romania, Spain and Sweden), in order to assess their understanding of “fake news”, as well as their perception of possible measures to combat the phenomenon, with a particular focus on digital tools. The findings show that the understanding of the concept of “fake news” differs from one country to the other, but also within the same country, with a common feature across countries: intention to deceive. Additionally, respondents identified lack of media and information literacy (MIL) in education as a major gap for combatting information disorders. Furthermore, they find that the use of digital tool for professional fact-checking needs to be repurposed or followed by pedagogical instructions to fit into the complexity of educational practices. Our findings highlight possible solutions for MIL in education using a combination of technocognition and transliteracy as theoretical framework and scaffolded pedagogical design for better adoption of fact-checking techniques.

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