A Framework for Information Disorder: Modeling Mechanisms and Implications Based on a Systematic Literature Review

2025-04-16

AI Summary

This paper addresses the systemic impact of information disorder on public policy and democratic processes, noting the absence of an interdisciplinary, full-cycle integrative framework in current research. Methodologically, it synthesizes systematic literature review, cross-disciplinary conceptual integration, and mechanism-pathway modeling to transcend binary “true/false” paradigms and technological determinism, foregrounding structural drivers and institutional interventions. The study proposes the first five-stage lifecycle model for public administration, conceptualizing information disorder as a socio-material phenomenon embedded in the material conditions of digital society. Its primary contribution is an actionable policy response framework that shifts governance from fragmented, reactive measures toward institutionalized, ecosystem-level coordination. This framework provides both theoretical anchoring and practical pathways for multi-level policy design, advancing scholarly and policy discourse on democratic resilience in digitally mediated environments. (149 words)

Technology Category

Game Theory and Economic Paradigms: Imperfect InformationApplication Domains: Misinformation & Fake NewsMachine Learning: Information Theory

Application Category

Responsible Web: Mitigating misinformation and disinformationSocial Networks and Social Media: Media and governance, opinion dynamics, filter bubbles, polarizationSystems and Infrastructure for Web, Mobile and WoT: Web applications in cross-disciplinary domains and verticals such as mixed reality, smart cities, and digital health

Abstract

This systematic literature review seeks to explain the mechanisms and implications of information disorder for public policy and the democratic process, by proposing a five-stage framework capturing its full life cycle. To our knowledge, no prior reviews in the field of public administration have offered a comprehensive, integrated model of information disorder; most existing studies are situated within communication, information science, or data science, and tend to focus on isolated aspects of the phenomenon. By connecting concepts and stages with enabling factors, agents, tactics and impacts, we reframe information disorder not as a question of"truthiness", individual cognition, digital literacy, or merely of technology, but as a socio-material phenomenon, deeply embedded in and shaped by the material conditions of contemporary digital society. This approach calls for a shift away from fragmented interventions toward more holistic, system-level policy responses.

Problem

• Modeling the life cycle of information disorder mechanisms
• Analyzing socio-material impacts on digital society and democracy
• Proposing holistic policy responses to combat information fragmentation

Innovation

• Five-stage framework for information disorder lifecycle
• Socio-material approach to reframe information disorder
• Holistic system-level policy response strategy