Disinformation and the Return of Mass Society Theory

Background: The contemporary political discourse about online disinformation has, in many cases, adopted assumptions about the dangers of mass culture that can be traced back to mid-twentieth century theories of mass society. Analysis: To understand how mass society theory has shaped contemporary debates about disinformation, the article examines the Government of Canada’s recent framing of the problem in terms of security, regulation, and media literacy. Conclusion and implications: The article shows that official discourses of disinformation have overemphasized the role of behavioural manipulation by foreign actors and technology companies and underestimated the deeper socio-structural factors that disinformation narratives express.