Manipulating Mis/Disinformation: ‘Sharp’ Versus ‘Soft’ Powers and Cultural Implications

The exponential growth of mis/disinformation, particularly its online version, risks serious harm to global public and private intercultural communication. Systematic and increasingly sophisticated mis-and-disinformation messages amplify and accelerate hate speech and help polarize public debate in a manner that can adversely affect cultural relations between countries, cultures, and communities. According to the dominant Western media discourse, the ‘sharp powers’ – notably China and Russia – are to blame, disrupting the liberal global order and undermining democracies with their manipulation machines. This paper argues that, conversely, the extensive and ‘softer’ mis-and-disinformation campaigns undertaken by Western powers are rarely mentioned, in which, US-based digital corporations play a key role, shaping the debate about the origins and implications of global information manipulation.