2026-01-12
If Inuit languages have hundreds of words for snow, we are going to need the same for disinformation in the…
To be read whilst listening to "Weak" by Skunk Anansie
Although it is not exactly true that the Inuit languages have hundreds of words for ice and snow, they are very ‘agglutinative’ languages, which means you can build lots of terms with prefixes and suffixes, meaning things like ‘sea ice’, ‘ new ice’, ‘multi-year ice’. But the general idea remains a powerful one - that if something is very important to you, you will have a lot of words for it in your language, with lots of nuanced variants.
As my co-authors Andrew Frank, Richard Hunter and I researched for our book World Without Truth and continue to study and advise clients on disinformation, we found a wonderful bestiary of linguistic terms related to information disorders. Our book contains a glossary of them, but I thought I would share a handful of the more colourful terms for your delectation:
1. Malinformation - Information that is technically accurate but provided out of context or in a misleading, or otherwise harmful, way.
2. Paltering - The use of selective truthful statements to mislead. (Thank you Russell Bennett.)
3. Doxxing - Exposing private information about an individual or organization without their consent, with the intent to cause harm.
4. Samizdat - The clandestine copying and distribution of literature banned by the state.
5. Astroturfing - The practice of masking the sponsors of messages to make it appear as though it originates from grassroots participants.
6. Truth Decay - The diminishing role of facts and analysis in public life.
7. Sockpuppet - A false online identity used for deceptive purposes, often to manipulate public opinion or circumvent restrictions.
8. Citation laundering – Circular referencing among low-quality sources to build their perceived credibility.
9. Stovepiping - To collect or store information in a compartmentalized manner, to limit the ability of consumers to access it, or put it all together.
Which is your favourite? Any other exotic ones you would like to share? In English or any other language?
#Unthink
#Unask
#Unlearn
#Misinformation # Disinformation
#WorldWithoutTruth
The image Dave made for this
A picture made by Nanobanana of the three authors in front of a backdrop of the World Without Truth book cover. Thought bubbles were added above each of our heads with unusual disinformation terms: paltering, astroturfing, samizdat.