Together, the four Cs mark a deliberate shift away from siloed approaches that treat misinformation as an isolated problem, locating it instead within the broader disruptions and vulnerabilities of contemporary digital information ecologies. 

Content: the misinformation ecosystem 

We study the full complexity of the misinformation landscape, including the platforms, algorithms, AI, and networks of influence that drive the spread of falsehoods across hybrid information ecologies. A key focus is how misinformation increasingly blurs the line between truth and falsehood by mimicking legitimate, authoritative forms of truth-telling, which makes it harder to identify and contain. We pay particular attention to the diverse, multimodal character of misinformation in digital settings: the influence of generative AI on how mis- and disinformation are constructed, the algorithmic amplification of disinformation, and the participatory logic of disinformation networks that draw on both mainstream and alternative sources. 

Selected publications 

• Hameleers, M. (2025). The nature of visual disinformation online: A qualitative content analysis of alternative and social media in the Netherlands. Political Communication, 42(1), 108-126.  

• Hameleers, M. (2025). The visual nature of information warfare: the construction of partisan claims on truth and evidence in the context of wars in Ukraine and Israel/Palestine. Journal of Communication, 75(2), 90-100. 

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In the spotlight 

Paper: Hameleers, M. (2025). The visual nature of information warfare: the construction of partisan claims on truth and evidence in the context of wars in Ukraine and Israel/Palestine. Journal of Communication, 75(2), 90-100. 

The finding: In highly polarised wars, most fact-checked visual disinformation is not fabricated but real footage that has been decontextualised (detached from its original time, place, or factual status) and re-used deceptively to legitimise out-group violence and reassure the in-group. 

Why it matters: Interventions during global armed conflicts should focus on decontextualisation rather than only on detecting outright fakes. 

Causes: why misinformation thrives 

We look beyond the technological affordances that make misinformation easy to create and spread, to the deeper socio-political conditions that allow it to flourish: eroding trust in media and public institutions, the normalisation of populism and extremism, growing public uncertainty, and the broader fragility of shared truths in a digital information ecology. We also examine the psychology of mis- and disinformation: which segments of society are most susceptible, and which psychological mechanisms it (strategically) exploits. 

Selected publications 

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In the spotlight 

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Related projects & infrastructure: see the Projects page. 

Consequences: effects across society 

We investigate how misinformation, and the wider crisis of truth and trust of which it is part, affects people, organisations, and democratic systems. Beyond effects on individual beliefs and attitudes, we trace consequences across domains including consumer behaviour, health, journalism, and political decision-making, and across levels from individual citizens to policymakers and democratic institutions. We also look beyond belief in specific falsehoods: how do the presence of, and public debate about, the threat of mis- and disinformation affect the trust people place in information, the media, and organisations? 

Selected publications 

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In the spotlight 

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Countering: building long-term resilience 

We study a wide range of interventions (from fact-checking and corrective information to media-literacy programmes, gamified inoculation, and platform- and policy-level measures) designed to counter the effects of misinformation. Crucially, we move beyond narrowly measuring whether people believe specific falsehoods. Building genuinely resilient societies means rebuilding trust, strengthening the legitimacy of epistemic authorities, and fostering citizens’ critical capacities at every level. Together with societal stakeholders, we also develop, test, and implement new interventions against mis- and disinformation. 

Selected publications 

[Add 3–5 curated publications for this theme.] 

In the spotlight 

[Add a spotlight in the fixed format: paper, then the finding, then why it matters.] 

Related projects & infrastructure: see the Projects page.