Fake news! Misinformation in the era of Trump
Date
2025
Authors
Andrew, Lindsey
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Publisher
University Of Victoria
Abstract
My research seeks to answer the question of whether Donald Trump is a threat to democracy. Employing the method and lens of discourse analysis and social constructivism, I argue that the threat posed by Trump to democracy comes in the indirect form of a misinformed electorate that can demonstrably be mobilized against US democratic processes. First, I explore how misinformation disseminates and how a digital informational environment exacerbates its dissemination. Then I apply my findings from the first section to the case study of the 2020 US presidential election and the capitol riots that followed. I conclude that an over-abundance of misinformation results in increases in both informational learned helplessness and citizens being manipulated to attack their own democratic institutions.
Description
Keywords
Donald Trump, democracy, US politics, misinformation