Navigating the Web of Disinformation: Employing Social Network Analysis to Decode Disinformation Dynamics in Modern Societies

A network analysis that ignores social harm is merely a technical exercise. A social critique that ignores the network is incomplete. Navigating the Web of Disinformation closes this critical gap.

Mariann Hardey and Wasim Ahmed offer a vital socio-technical examination of digital falsehoods, using Social Network Analysis (SNA) to connect the mechanics of digital diffusion to their real-world consequences. The result is a powerful visual and analytical account of how digital manipulation directly fuels social instability. As a critical contribution to the field, this book equips researchers and policymakers with a practical method to not only identify false information but to understand its social impact, proposing grounded solutions to defend the integrity of public discourse.

A vital contribution to the field, this publication equips policymakers, researchers, and practitioners with the insights needed to mitigate the spread of false information.

Professor Mariann (Maz) Hardey is Distinguished Professor of Business and Computing, Durham University Business School, Advanced Research Computing (ARC), Durham University, UK. What does it mean to be human in an age of algorithms? This is the central question driving Professor Hardey’s work. Inspired by H.G. Wells’s visions of a future shaped by innovation, she is dedicated to ensuring that this future is inclusive, equitable, and universally accessible. Her work seeks to empower individuals and communities through technology.

Dr Wasim Ahmed is Senior Lecturer in Marketing at Hull University Business School. What does it mean to build resilience in a world shaped by digital manipulation? This is the central question driving the work of Dr Ahmed. He is a leading expert in social network analysis (SNA), data visualisation, and digital disinformation. His research uncovers the mechanisms by which false narratives around public health propagate and shape public discourse. Dr Ahmed’s work has attracted widespread citation and recognition, particularly for its use of SNA.