Desinformação contemporânea: herança de guerra

Abstract

Based on bibliographical research, this article aims to present a historical review of the use of disinformation practices in periods of war, with emphasis on the Chinese wars, the Second World War and the Cold War. It also looks at the relationship between these practices and contemporary disinformation circulating in digital environments, especially online social networks. The results show that the difference between the disinformation practices inherited from the war periods and contemporary disinformation lies in the power of circulation and reach of this content and in the number of victims of disinformation. Victims who, at a certain point in the disinformation cycle, also become co-authors of disinformation to the extent that they share and spread this content, especially on their personal profiles on online social networks. This scenario of increasing disinformation reinforces the need for actions and public policies aimed at media education of the population, with an emphasis on users of online social networks, with the aim of qualifying citizens so that they are able to question the authorship and veracity of the media content they consume on a daily basis, as well as checking the information they consume.