American Democracy Under Threat: Misinformation and Disinformation on Social Media. A case study of Donald Trump's mis- and disinformation tweets in the context of the 2021 Capitol siege

Abstract

Since Donald Trump came to power in 2017, the debate about the consequences of mis- and disinformation on social media has continued to grow. This thesis aims to discuss the impact of online mis- and disinformation on American democracy with the help of a case study of Donald Trump’s tweets between 3 November 2020, which was the day of the election, and 6 January 2021, which was the day of the Capitol storming. This thesis presents four mechanisms that show how Trump’s mis- and disinformation tweets contributed to the assault on the U.S. Capitol. First, online polarisation, second, the spread of mis- and disinformation on Twitter, third, Donald Trump core supporters’ news ecosystem, finally, Trump’s rhetoric on Twitter. The findings contribute to the building of the theory according to which mis- and disinformation represent a threat to democracy.