Disinformation as the weaponization of cruel optimism: A critical intervention in misinformation studies

Abstract

Over the past five years there has been an explosion of mis- and disinformation, with negative social and political impacts felt around the globe. The spread of misinformation has also generated huge scholarly interest but, unfortunately, critical theory has not played a strong role in driving or organizing this research. This paper argues that scholars of emotion and affect should play a stronger role within misinformation studies, providing theoretical frameworks that help to highlight the structural and social aspects of misinformation, to integrate work across disciplines, and to guard against overly techno-solutionist interventions in misinformation. The paper makes this argument by reviewing core areas of study within misinformation studies and placing current research into conversation with Lauren Berlant's concept of cruel optimism. It demonstrates that all aspects of misinformation – from the structural changes that engender it to the disinformation campaigns that weaponize it – are undergirded by powerful affective tools. Unless solutions to misinformation account for these affective geographies, they risk failing or even making the political impact of misinformation worse.