Resilience Against External Disinformation Campaigns

How can a democratic society respond to disinformation in the modern age, and what methods are available at the highest levels? Disinformation has become a widespread discursive manifestation of the current worldwide political climate since the past decade. Tackling the phenomenon, without a doubt, necessitates a relentless emphasis on researching and analysing the steps taken by states, social platforms, international or local organisations. Hence, the thesis sets out to explore the traits of the EU's discourse on online disinformation and research the concept of building resilience against disinformation campaigns. For this reason, this study examines the EU's counter-disinformation policies, which have been set in action since 2015, when the Union recognized the phenomenon as a threat to democracy. Subsequently, in 2018, the EU unveiled a new strategy to address digital disinformation followed by a self-regulatory Code of Practice and the communication about tackling COVID-19 disinformation in 2020. The study of disinformation is undoubtedly complex due to the wide variety of actors involved, ongoing technological developments, individual psychological mechanisms and the difficulty of defining the concept. Therefore, the dissertation will narrow down its focus on the main strategic points found..