Fake news as a social phenomenon in the digital age: a sociological research agenda

Abstract

This paper proposes a sociological research agenda for analysing the spreading mechanisms of misinformation in contemporary society. The contemporary fake news phenomenon is approached as an emergent outcome of inter-related technological, economic, socio-cultural and political factors that have made society vulnerable to misinformation. Those factors are understood as generators of various social dynamics rather than as direct causal determinants. In order to better acknowledge the conditions under which fake news is propagated and legitimated in digital society, news should be approached not only as a commodity that functions in a market-driven economy, but also as a social institution that regulates political discourse and public debate. Based on these considerations, the conclusions support the necessity of a more prominent sociological focus on media studies, which could build awareness of the performative role of language in the context of technologically mediated realities.