INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF STUDENT PERFORMANCE AND EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH

Abstract

The aim of the study is to find out about the strategies used in the dissemination of misinformation and fake news in the digital age by using the critical discourse analysis (Henceforth CDA) by Wodak, (2015) and the socio-cognitive approach of van Dijk (2008). A methodology marker of the research was the demonstrated utilization of a mixed corpus-linguistic and critical discourse analytic qualitative research method to explicate the linguistic properties, discursive devices, and social-contextual features at play. Research data were gathered from the different social media platforms featuring the viral misinformation cases.This research found that misinformation regularly employs emotional language, ambiguous syntactic structures, and persuasive devices, and familiar discourse strategies identified involved selective framing, decontextualization, or circular argumentation. Beyond the linguistic strategies, the research analyses the role of the platform algorithms, echo chambers, and cultural biases in the spread of misinformation. What this investigation adds to the literature on misinformation is a discourse-analytical synthesis, an account of the possible interventions to address misinformation, and a focus on how critical media literacy is important. This was deemed noteworthy by the researchers as it presents an innovative perspective about how linguistic choices, discourse strategies, and socio-technical networks are interconnected in the spreading of misinformation in the context of contemporary societies. The findings from this research speak to the researchers’ call for attention from policymakers, educators, and media professionals to intervene and counter misinformation in contemporary society.