WhatsApp vigilantes: an exploration of citizen reception and circulation of WhatsApp misinformation linked to mob violence in India

This research study analyses the relationship between the use of WhatsApp to spread misinformation (also known as fake news) and disinformation in India, and the increase in lynchings and associated vigilante violence in India since 2015. Our focus is on the intersection of disinformation, misinformation, fake news, propaganda, mob violence, socio-political contexts of technology use, technological affordances and infrastructures, user experiences and motivations, media literacy, policy and regulation. This study will have particular resonance outside India for countries such as the USA, Israel, Pakistan, Brazil and Indonesia.