Key claims
Misinformation vs. disinformation distinction: Misinformation is false information spread without intentional deception; disinformation is purposefully seeded falsehood designed to achieve a specific objective (political or financial). Effective disinformation often operates on a core of plausible or true information, layered with distortions and exaggerations, making it resistant to simple fact-checking.
Participatory disinformation involves unwitting agents: Many spreaders of disinformation are unaware they are participating in a coordinated campaign. They are not coordinating in a traditional sense; instead, they organically amplify narratives that align with their existing beliefs or identities. This concept borrows from Soviet-era disinformation practitioner Yuri Bezmenov's analysis of long-term information warfare.
2016 vs. 2020—a tale of two elections: In 2016, disinformation was predominantly foreign in origin, perpetrated by inauthentic actors (bots, fake accounts, Russian agencies). The 2020 disinformation campaign was largely domestic, authentic (often from blue-check verified accounts, news media, and politicians), and cultivated organically by everyday people rather than rigidly coordinated.
The "Big Lie" on January 6th: The false claim that Trump's "sacred landslide victory" was stolen from him motivated the Capitol insurrection on January 6, 2021. The disinformation campaign included symbols and memes of internet culture made physical, indicating how online narratives embed in real-world actions.
Coordinated vs. organic amplification: While not entirely without coordination (some top-down seeding occurred), the 2020 campaign succeeded largely through organic, bottom-up participation where people created and shared disinformation about the election without awareness of their role in a larger campaign.
Disinformation as an attack on democracy: These campaigns directly undermine trust in the democratic process itself, not just in particular candidates or policies. They threaten the epistemic foundations necessary for democratic governance.
Research methodology
Starbird describes collaboration during the election season with three research organizations at Stanford (Graphica), the Digital Forensic Research Lab (DFR Lab), and partners across the U.S. government, civil society, and tech platforms. This novel research partnership allowed for real-time analysis of disinformation dynamics as they unfolded.
Framing distinctions
Rumor, misinformation, disinformation, propaganda, and conspiracy theories each occupy distinct points in the information ecosystem. Starbird emphasizes that campaign-level disinformation cannot always be reduced to single false pieces of content—it operates as an assemblage of information actions that collectively create false impressions.
Notes
This keynote represents Starbird's mature framing of participatory disinformation—a conceptual shift from earlier focus on bot networks and coordinated inauthentic behavior toward a more nuanced understanding of how domestic actors, including legitimate media and political figures, co-create disinformation campaigns. The January 6 Capitol breach serves as the pivotal case study demonstrating real-world consequences of election disinformation. The talk situates her research at UW's Center for an Informed Public, which combines computer science, law, and communication approaches to understanding information integrity.