Disinformation and democratic threats: Insights from the 2019 Canadian federal election

Rachelle Louden; Richard Frank

doi:10.29329/jsomer.18

Authors

Rachelle Louden Simon Fraser University, Canada https://orcid.org/0009-0004-2633-2836
Richard Frank Simon Fraser University, Canada

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.29329/jsomer.18

Keywords:

disinformation, social media, election interference, influence campaigns, democratic threats

Abstract

News and social media shape voter decisions by influencing which political issues receive attention and how they are presented. This study examines how exposure to social media and disinformation impacted voter behaviour during the 2019 Canadian federal election. A survey was designed and delivered via various social media channels to collect data from Canadians who voted in the 2019 election (N = 182). Participants were presented with a mix of real and fake news headlines, and their responses were analyzed using binary logistic regression to assess the impact of media exposure on voting decisions. The results highlight that time spent on social media, particularly Instagram, significantly increased the likelihood of participants changing their voting decisions. Even when not widely circulated, exposure to fake news profoundly influenced voting decisions among respondents. Interestingly, real news headlines showed no statistically significant effect on voting behaviour, suggesting a reduced impact of credible journalism compared to other media types. This study emphasizes the necessity to create well-informed strategies to mitigate the spread of fake news and enhance media literacy to safeguard democratic processes in the digital age. This research contributes to theoretical advancements in understanding disinformation’s impacts and provides relevant insights for policymakers, educators, and media platforms working to mitigate the influence of disinformation.

Author Biography

Richard Frank, Simon Fraser University, Canada

Richard Frank is a Professor in the School of Criminology at Simon Fraser University (SFU) and Director of the International CyberCrime Research Centre (ICCRC). Richard completed a PhD in Computing Science (2010) and another PhD in Criminology (2013) at SFU. His main research interest is Cybercrime. His areas of research including hacking and security issues, the dark web, online terrorism and warfare, eLaundering and cryptocurrencies, and online child exploitation. He is the creator of The Dark Crawler, a tool for collecting and analyzing data from the open Internet, dark web, and online discussion forums.

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