Source: Why people fall for misinformation by Joseph Isaac and TED Education on YouTube
Misinformation
When false information is created without any intention of causing harm.
Mal-information
Mal-information is when genuine information is shared to cause harm, often by moving information designed to stay private into the public sphere.
Disinformation
Disinformation, also called propaganda or fake news, refers to any form of communication that is intended to mislead. The information in the communication is purposefully false or contains a misrepresentation of the truth. Disinformation can be used by individuals, companies, media outlets, and even government agencies.
Types of Disinformation
Misleading content, or information and half-truths presented in such a way as to place a person or an issue in a negative light.
Imposter content, or information from a source that deliberately impersonates a known and trustworthy source.
False content, where legitimate, truthful content is mixed with intentionally false content to give credibility to the false content.
Fabricated content, or information that is composed completely of information the source knows to be false.
False connection, or information that implies something in a headline, photo, video clip, or caption that is not a fair representation of the body of the article or other content.
Manipulated content, or content that is intentionally altered to create a false impression. An example is photo-shopping an individual into a photo at an event where they were not present.
Quoted from: Ungvarsky, J. (2020). Disinformation. In Salem Press Encyclopedia. Salem Press.
Quoted from: 3 Types of Information Disorder. Wardle & Derakhshan, 2017. Retrieved from: https://rm.coe.int/information-disorder-toward-an-interdisciplinary-framework-for-researc/168076277.
The earliest recorded instances of disinformation historians found was back during the reign of Julius Caesar (27 BCE- 476 CE). In 44 BCE, Julius Caesar appointed himself emperor which led to backlash from other prominent Roman leaders; ultimately resulting in Caesar's assassination.
Mark Antony, a military leader, and Gaius Octavius, Caesar’s great-nephew who was his adopted son and heir, both wanted the imperial throne. Octavius launched a disinformation campaign to frame Mark Antony as an unfit ruler due to his relationship with Cleopatra, involvement with foreign affairs and is questionable lifestyle.
Quoted from: Ungvarsky, J. (2020). Disinformation. In Salem Press Encyclopedia. Salem Press.