Information and its Reliability in the Digital Reality

Ethical Challenges of Social Media Manipulation in Political Communication

Social media has become a vital platform for political communication, given that it enables political parties, candidates, activists and ordinary citizens to spread their information rapidly and directly. However, due to the same digital ecosystem this also raises serious ethical issues. One key problem is social media manipulation, which defines the systematic and intentional deployment of digital tools and algorithms, fake accounts, emotional content, misleading information, microtargeting and coordinated online behaviour to shape and affect the public opinion. This practice in political communications can negatively impact the democratic discussion, as it can misguide the voters, limit informed decisions making and erode public trust in media and institutions. This paper conducts a critical discussion on social media manipulation as a contemporary issue of media ethics, pointing towards the general framework of how manipulation occurs through the means of disinformation, algorithmic amplification, political microtargeting, fake engagement, bots and coordinated inauthentic behaviour. The paper employs Social Responsibility Theory, deontological ethics, and utilitarian ethics in exploring the responsibilities of political actors, the social media platforms, content creators, and journalists and audiences. The paper contends that ethical political communication not only should seek to persuade people but should also consider respecting truth, transparency, privacy, human dignity and public interest. The paper concludes that more platform accountability, digital media literacy, transparent political advertising, responsible fact-checking and ethical practices during campaigns is the necessary lines of defense for protecting democratic communication in the digital age.

Media and information literacy and civic actors to counter disinformation in the age of artificial intelligence: insights from Mexico

This article investigates the strategies employed by civil society and academic actors in Mexico to develop media and information literacy (MIL), fact-checking, and digital media observation in response to AI-mediated disinformation during electoral processes. The analysis centers on the case of the fact-checking organization Verificado and the academic monitoring initiatives of the Digital Media Observatory at Tecnológico de Monterrey (OMD-Tec). The study adopts the UNESCO MIL approach as its primary analytical framework, complemented by perspectives from Media Ecology and General Semantics. The article proposes a collaborative model between civil society organizations and universities to address technological and informational challenges in critical contexts, thereby contributing to the sustainability of democratic systems in Latin America. This research situates Latin American MIL experiences within the global information ecosystem, underscoring their significance for rethinking media governance, digital rights, and the cultural dimensions of democracy in the era of artificial intelligence.

Impacts of Digital Journalism on Modern Communication

Digital journalism has essentially swept the scenery of the contemporary communication as it has transformed the manner in which information gets created, distributed, consumed, and perceived. The ability of the journalism industry to merge with digital technologies including the internet, mobile systems, social media, data analytics, artificial intelligence, and multimedia tools has both increased the speed of news dissemination and the performance of the job and role of a professional journalist. This paper discusses how digital journalism relates to the contemporary communication systems in terms of structural, technological, social, and ethical aspects. The paper discusses the impact of digital journalism concerning news credibility, speed, interactivity, personalization and global reach as well as challenges including misinformation, algorithm bias, downward revenue models and loss of traditional gatekeeping functions. A literature survey is carried out systematically to highlight the prevailing theories and research results in the recent studies. The research approach is a mixed approach of qualitative and quantitative in character, i.e. it uses content analysis, comparative measures, and conceptual modeling to analyze the result(s) of communication in the digital news ecosystem. Findings point to the fact that digital journalism increases the level of participatory communication and immediacy and poses serious threats associated with information overload, lack of trust, and accountability. The conclusion of the paper is that digital journalism enhances democratic communication and inclusiveness to the maximum, but regulatory frameworks, ethical standards, and technological literacy should be sustained to ensure that its beneficial effects on the society are fully realized. The results have a contribution on the communication studies and media research by providing an integrated analytical model that complies with the IEEE scholarly standards.

Digital World as a Theatre of War: Political Performativity and Digital Strategies under Authoritarianism

This article examines how performative forms of digital communication contribute to the production and normalization of political reality under authoritarian and hybrid political conditions, with Georgia as the primary contextual frame. Drawing on Michel Foucault’s theories of productive power and governmentality, Erika Fischer-Lichte’s performance theory, and Branislav Jakovljević’s analysis of event, script, and actors in the theatre of war, the study combines conceptual analysis with in-depth interviews with seven experts in political science, cybersecurity, media and communication, international relations, human rights, social psychology, and performing arts. The thematic analysis identified six interconnected mechanisms: Performative Camouflage, perceived authenticity and trust formation, affective activation, audience co-production, algorithmic amplification, and normalization of political reality. The article introduces Performative Camouflage to describe the circulation of politically consequential meanings through communicative forms that may appear personal, professional, cultural, educational, protective, or otherwise not primarily political. The findings suggest that digital political influence emerges through recursive interactions among performers, audiences, platforms, affect, and unequal communicative resources rather than through isolated messages alone. The study distinguishes political function from unverified strategic intention or organizational coordination and emphasizes the ambivalence of digital participation, which can support both political control and democratic resistance. It proposes the Digital Theatre of War as an analytical model for examining these processes.

Communication Techniques and Distinctive Features of Disinformation

Abstract: The article examines prevailing understandings of disinformation in the context of the digital communication environment, with a focus on its communication techniques and distinctive features. In conditions of accelerated information circulation and algorithmically mediated content, disinformation has emerged as a systemic phenomenon with the potential to influence public opinion, democratic processes and institutional trust. The study employs the methods of desk research, analysis and synthesis. The hypothesis is that disinformation functions as a strategic mechanism of influence that uses specific communication techniques which can be systematized through an analysis of its distinctive features. The theoretical analysis is based on contemporary academic and institutional sources and aims to develop a comprehensive conceptual framework for understanding disinformation as a strategic communication mechanism of influence. The study analyzes different theoretical approaches to defining disinformation, including the distinction between disinformation, misinformation and malinformation. Special attention is paid to the communication techniques through which disinformation narratives are constructed and disseminated, as well as to their structural and linguistic characteristics. Keywords: misinformation, communication techniques, media environment, institutional communication, social media.

Digitalization – (dis)Information – Communication – Functioning of Young People in the Digital Environment