Information Integrity & Media Systems

Some Assembly Required: The Wayfair Conspiracy Online

This study examines the emergence, content, and cross-platform spread of the Wayfair conspiracy theory on Reddit and Twitter, showing how fringe narratives gain traction in mainstream spaces.

Walter, D., Lokmanoglu, A. D., Ophir, Y., & Fabregat, E. (2025). Some assembly required: Unpacking the content and spread of Wayfair conspiracy theory on Reddit and Twitter. New Media & Society. [DOI] [Code]

Reddit and Twitter hourly volume (Walter et al., 2025).

Networks and Pathways of Violent Extremism: Effectiveness of Dis/Misinformation Campaigns

This project investigates the networks and pathways through which violent extremism spreads, focusing on the effectiveness of disinformation and misinformation campaigns in influencing extremist behaviors and beliefs.

Highlights:

Analysis of dis/misinformation impact
Study of extremist network pathways
Evaluation of campaign effectiveness

Project Details:

Start Date: 2023
End Date: 2026
Funding Agency: National Institute of Justice

Presentations:

Jadoon, A., Lokmanoglu, A. D., Hemmila, T., & Perliger, A. (2024, September). Exploring the Linkages between False Narratives and Political Events. American Political Science Association Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, PA.
Hemmila, T., Perliger, A., Jadoon, A., & Lokmanoglu, A. D. (September, 2024). Understanding the Properties of Extremists Disinformation Campaigns. American Political Science Association Annual Meeting (APSA), Philadelphia, PA.

Media Matters: A Meta-Analysis of 30 Years of Research

Mixed-method review of three decades of scholarship on information integrity and communication systems.

Highlights:

Identifies major theoretical and methodological trends
Maps the evolution of misinformation and communication studies

Ophir, Y., Walter, D., Lokmanoglu, A. D., & Walter, N. (2025). Media matters: A mixed-method look into the research on misinformation and communication over 30 years. Annals of the International Communication Association. [DOI]

Over time changes to co-citation network structure (Ophir et al., 2025).

Heaven Holds a Place for Those Who Pray

This project analyzes how religious narratives were leveraged as disinformation strategies in the 2022 Brazilian and 2023 Turkish presidential campaigns. Co-first authored, it highlights cross-national tactics of media manipulation and information integrity in electoral contexts.

Fitzgerald, J., Lokmanoglu, A. D., Salles, D., & Santini, R. M. (2024). Heaven Holds a Place for Those Who Pray: Instrumentalizing Religion and Disinformation in the 2022 Brazilian and 2023 Turkish Presidential Campaigns. The International Journal of Press/Politics. [DOI] [Code]

Content Takedowns: Theory, Practice, Ethics

A special issue examining global practices and challenges of online content moderation and removal.

Lokmanoglu, A. D., & Fitzgerald, J. (Eds.). (2024). The (International) Politics of Content Takedowns: Theory, Practice, Ethics. Policy & Internet. [DOI]