ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was twofold. First, this study sought to validate the conceptualization and operationalization of lacuna publics, conceptulized as knowledge-deficient, extreme pro- and/or anti-issue activists about controversial social issues. Second, this study advanced a typology of disinformation-susceptible publics, classifying individuals into disinformation-immune, disinformation-vulnerable, disinformation-receptive, and disinformation-amplifying publics based on their issue-specific motivation, attitudes, and knowledge deficiency. In doing so, this study helps refocus scholarly attention on disinformation campaigns and how to possibly mitigate their effects. Surveys were conducted among American adults to understand lacuna publics’ information behaviors compared to those of non-lacuna publics, and to identify individuals who comprise the four disinformation-susceptible publics conceptualized in this study. Theoretical and methodological implications are discussed (120 words)

摘要

这项研究的目的是双重的。首先，本研究试图验证缺陷公众的概念化和操作化，这些公众被概念化为关于有争议的社会问题的知识缺乏、极端支持和/或反对问题的活动家。其次，本研究提出了虚假信息易感公众的类型学，根据他们特定问题的动机、态度和知识缺陷，将个人分为虚假信息免疫、虚假信息易受伤害、虚假信息接受和虚假信息放大的公众。通过这样做，这项研究有助于将学术注意力重新集中在虚假宣传活动以及如何可能减轻其影响上。在美国成年人中进行了调查，以了解与非空白公众相比，空白公众的信息行为，并确定构成本研究中概念化的四个虚假信息易感公众的个人。讨论了理论和方法学意义（120 字）