Key terminology we use in our project
Information disorder, including misinformation, disinformation and malinformation
All of these terms relate to the spread of false and/or misleading information: disinformation is the intentional spread of false information to cause harm, while misinformation is the unintentional spread of false information. Malinformation refers to information that is not necessarily false, but lacks context and is used to mislead people (learn more here).” We use the umbrella term “information disorder” to refer to issues relating to fake news, disinformation, misinformation and malinformation.
Information inequality
The term “information inequality” refers to inequality in access to information, which can have a disproportionate effect on certain groups of people.
Information inequality can hinder public participation and civic engagement and pose challenges to people’s individual and collective decision-making.
Information ecosystems
We’re using the term “information ecosystems” to refer to systems of information creation, exchange, flow, and use.
We have taken an “ecosystems approach” to convey the complex ways in which information is produced, shared and disseminated, highlighting the interconnectedness of the different elements and actors that coexist in this ecosystem and encouraging a more holistic analysis of the challenges we’re facing when it comes to information.
(For those interested in learning more, we recommend Courtney C. Radsch’s work on healthy information ecosystems as a good place to start).
News/Information desert
A news or information desert is a community with limited access to local (and credible) news sources.
The UNC Center for Innovation and Sustainability in Local Media defines news deserts as “communities, either rural or urban, with limited access to the sort of credible and comprehensive news and information that feeds democracy at the grassroots level.”
We also like Jessica Botelho’s conception of news deserts as biomes, – places where there is still life, and seeds to water: even in areas of news scarcity, people are still connected to larger information ecosystems, through social media and other communication forms.
Similar to a news desert, an information desert refers to a community with limited access to useful information resources on a wider scale (for example, from government agencies or other institutions). We use this term to describe lack of access to quality information, a variety of sources, and information infrastructure.
Digital divide
The digital divide describes disparities in access to digital technology (which can include devices such as laptops, desktops, smartphones, tablets), as well as to the internet.
Media literacy
Media literacy is the ability to find, comprehend, analyze and use news media – including being able to recognise legitimate sources of information, dissect biases, and understand arguments.
The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace has found that there is significant evidence showing that media literacy training may be instrumental in people identifying false stories and news media.
In this project, media literacy is mentioned in our desk research, but it did not come up widely in our interviews and is a topic that we cover only loosely (for now!).
Machismo
Machismo can be exhibited through aggressiveness, possessiveness, exaggerated displays of masculinity and demeaning behavior towards other genders. Latin American feminists, starting in the 70s and 80s, have used the term to describe male aggression and violence. Since then, the term has been used by Latin feminists and scholars to criticize the patriarchal structure of gender relations in Latin communities.
Popular communication and popular communicators
With origins in Latin American social movements from the 1970s and 1980s, the term “popular communication” (comunicación popular in Spanish, and comunicação popular in Portuguese) refers to communication initiatives that emerge from the action of social movements primarily linked to the sectors of the population who organize with the goals of survival, political participation, and social justice.
The pedagogical principles of Paulo Freire’s concept of liberatory education also inform popular communication. We use the term “popular communicators” to refer to individuals and organizations who are involved with popular communication initiatives. Terms like “alternative communication” or “community communication” are also used.
Platform development
Platform development can be understood as the growing economic and infrastructural significance of (social media) platforms; the term describes the rising relevance of social media networks (e.g. Facebook, WhatsApp, Telegram, X, Instagram, TikTok) in how people access information and communicate with each other.