Disinformation is an ever-present part of modern society, affecting everything from politics to healthcare; its proliferation has only been helped by the emergence of new ICTs and the internet. Our research on disinformation considers in particular the interaction between those technologies and the spread of disinformation. Tackling disinformation is a core challenge, not least given the rise in disinformation following the Covid-19 crisis.
OII researchers have studied the full breadth of disinformation. The Programme on Democracy and Technology, for example, investigates the systematic use of disinformation by states and parties to affect politics. Our research examines the interplay between systematic misinformation campaigns, news coverage, and increasingly important social media platforms for public understanding of science and technological innovation.
By Philip N. Howard
Harnessing information from polling data, internet postings, and interviews with journalists, bot writers, and political consultants, Howard offers a way to identify and derail "bot" technologies that jeopardize our discourse and democracies.
By Samuel C. Woolley (Editor) and Philip N. Howard (Editor)
Social media misinformation is spreading globally. This book argues that this automation and platform manipulation, amounts to a new political communications mechanism that editors Samuel Woolley and Philip N. Howard call "computational propaganda."
The aim of this project is to develop an AI-enhanced tool that integrates Large Language Models and social science theory for the rapid detection of conspiracy theories and provide insights to governments and policymakers on combatting such theories.
This project analyses Sweden's depiction online and in news media by foreign radical groups and how these depictions, in turn gains visibility in Swedish media
Artificial intelligence-driven tactics for manipulating and generating visual information have become increasingly sophisticated and accessible. This project examines how diverse stakeholders can affect AI governance for synthetic media.
By Marcel Schliebs, Hannah Bailey, Jonathan Bright, and Philip N. Howard
The Chinese state increasingly employs social media in its public diplomacy efforts. This report by Oxford researchers lays out the vast extent of China’s operations on Twitter, where it controls a huge number of highly active accounts.
31 March 2025
New research reveals that social connections, more so than political alignment, can promote engagement with user-driven corrections of misinformation on social media platforms like X.
12 March 2025
New analysis finds that the number of hours spent playing Nintendo games did not significantly affect adults’ mental well-being, life satisfaction, emotional state, or depressive symptoms.
10 March 2025
Meta recently announced its plan to build the world’s longest submarine cable system. The OII’s Professor Vili Lehdonvirta and DPhil candidate Anniki Mikelsaar ask what geopolitical and economic significance this new project may have.
20 February 2025
This final article of the OII Elections series asks: What is the role of digital factors in Germany’s election?
BBC News, 30 April 2025
Prof. Andrew Przybylski discusses the ways that gaming positively and negatively influences individual wellbeing on BBC The World Tonight, starting at 24:28.
msnbc.com, 30 April 2025
Video games can impact mental wellbeing in various ways, from fostering misogynistic views and loneliness to relieving stress and boosting memory, a new study suggests.
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ), 25 February 2025
Artificial intelligence replaces routine tasks while simultaneously increasing the demand for complementary human skills. The positive effect clearly prevails
