Abstract
Hijacking a democracy used to be through political maneuvering such as a coup d’etat, these days it can be done through social media. This study examines the role of micro-influencers in the distribution of disinformation in the recent Philippine elections. The study takes off from the three-step communication flow model of Klaus Jensen (2009), which he in turn adapted for the field of digital communication from the classic two-step flow model of Lazarsfeld and Katz (1955). However, we show that it is only partially valid since these models assume that the original source of information is mainstream media. Adopting it to the study of disinformation and social media, we found that micro-influencers in the months preceding the recent Philippine elections were sharing information being fed by political parties and alternative media with the aim of spreading disinformation. Moreover, these micro-influencers actually used their platform to discredit institutions, such as the Catholic Church, the Commission on Elections, and mainstream media.
Presenters
Rachel KhanAssociate Dean, Journalism, University of the Philippines College of Mass Communication, Philippines
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
2022 Special Focus—Democratic Disorder: Disinformation, the Media and Crisis in a Time of Change
KEYWORDS
Disinformation, Democracy, Philippine Elections, Social Media, Two-step Flow Theory
