Digital corporate communication and disinformation

Disinformation in the form of half-truths, false information and deliberative lies has always existed (Lewandowsky and van der Linden, 2021). Although there is nothing new in this phenomenon, the novelty is in the speed with which disinformation spreads in the information environment, as technological development, and, in particular, social media, has allowed a more rapid spread of news (Bovet and Makse, 2019). The aim of this chapter is to address the topic of disinformation and explore the role of digital corporate communication to counter the spread of this dangerous phenomenon. The first part of the chapter consists of a conceptual framework of the disinformation phenomenon: definitions, theories and dimensions are analysed and compared. The chapter then focuses on what is changing as a result of digitalization (i.e., fake news spreading in the communicative overcrowding scenario) and yet what remains the same (i.e., the old threat of disinformation). The risks that disinformation causes for organizations is also discussed. An illustration of how the European Union tackled disinformation surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic is presented. The chapter concludes with implications for practitioners and future research directions regarding this topic.