Disinformation in the Digital Era: A Systematic Review of Its Evolution, Impact, and Mitigation Strategies.

Abstract:

The menace of disinformation in society has reached a disturbing height that calls for urgent attention. This research examines the problem and taxonomy of disinformation, highlighting its classification, plausible sources, likely impacts, and dimensions to answer the research questions proposed to resolve the identified research problem/gap. The study examines the origins, evolution, and modernization of disinformation, particularly in the context of the emergence of artificial intelligence and social media platforms. Although disinformation is often employed for disingenuous reasons, this study analytically highlights its strengths and limitations, subsequently emphasizing the need for a balanced view of its pros and cons. This research also considers the overview of various software responsible for identifying, moderating, and countering disinformation. It generally debates both open-source and proprietary software toolkits/frameworks in the context of disinformation, specifically identifying individual software/toolkits that are uniquely relevant to combating disinformation. Thus, it is concluded that disinformation has a significant negative impact that immediately calls for the implementation of both preventive and mitigative strategies. Embracing machine learning and natural language provides a significant opportunity to analyze and detect disinformation.