Fake News and the Contemporary Repertoire of Political Action

Abstract

This article aims to comprehend the contemporary phenomenon of fake news. To do so, it begins with a literature review, addressing: (1) definitions of the concept; (2) the factors that would explain its ubiquity in contemporary political debate and the consequences of this process; (3) the cases most frequently explored by the literature and the concept’s historical development; (4) the “antidotes” or solutions proposed to address it. The article then assesses the concept of fake news through the repertoire of contention perspective and argues that some of the frequently prescribed antidotes do not seem adequate to tackle the current epistemic crisis scenario.