Studying mis- and disinformation in Asian diasporic communities: The need for critical transnational research beyond Anglocentrism

Abstract

Drawing on preliminary research about the spread of mis- and disinformation across Asian diasporic communities, we advocate for qualitative research methodologies that can better examine historical, transnational, multilingual, and intergenerational information networks. Using examples of case studies from Vietnam, Taiwan, China, and India, we discuss research themes and challenges including legacies of multiple imperialisms, nationalisms, and geopolitical tensions as root causes of mis- and disinformation; difficulties in data collection due to private and closed information networks, language translation and interpretation; and transnational dimensions of information infrastructures and media platforms. This commentary introduces key concepts driven by methodological approaches to better study diasporic information networks beyond the dominance of Anglocentrism in existing mis- and disinformation studies.

Taking the power back: How diaspora community organizations are fighting misinformation spread on encrypted messaging apps

“…In summary, there is no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to addressing the misinformation problem in a country as diverse as the United States. Our results contribute to confirming findings in recent literature (Austin et al, 2021;Kemei et al, 2022;Lee et al, 2023;Nguyễn et al, 2022).…”

Designing misinformation interventions for all: Perspectives from AAPI, Black, Latino, and Native American community leaders on misinformation educational efforts

“…Similarly, recent research on misinformation narratives targeting Black Americans on social media found that anti-vaccine messaging often evokes concerns about medical racism and exploitation (e.g., the Tuskegee syphilis crisis, Dodson et al, 2021) and ongoing structural inequalities (e.g., medical redlining, Andrasfay et al, 2021;racism in healthcare, Diamond et al, 2022) to discourage people from getting vaccinated (Dodson et al, 2021). Harmful narratives discouraging vaccination and endorsing pseudoscientific cures can also be found across Asian American/Pacific Islander and Native American/American Indian communities (Asian American Disinformation Table, 2022;Getahun, 2021;Nguyễn et al, 2022). These examples of misinformation are particularly concerning given ongoing racial disparities in the impact of COVID-19.…”

“…Indeed, it is imperative to recognize that communities of color are not monoliths. The experiences of individuals who are part of the Asian diaspora, for example, can vary substantially within and across the Chinese, Vietnamese, and Korean communities (Nguyễn et al, 2022). Furthermore, it may be important to account for generational differences in BIPOC communities (e.g., a recent immigrant vs. a third-generation child).…”

Overcome the fragmentation in online propaganda literature: the role of cultural and cognitive sociology

“…By considering sociocultural factors, researchers can move beyond a descriptive—and often Anglocentric—understanding of online propaganda production and distribution, reaching more comprehensive conclusions regarding the prominence and significance of specific platforms, actors, and diffusion patterns across different national and subnational context (Camargo and Simon, 2022 ). Supply-side scholars can, therefore, enhance their findings by incorporating these factors into their investigations, thus also responding to recent calls numerous researchers have made to ground online propaganda studies in history, society, culture, and politics to avoid neglecting the role race, ethnicity, language, colonial legacy, gender, and class have in this phenomenon (e.g., Siegel, 2020 ; Kreiss, 2021 ; Kuo and Marwick, 2021 ; Nguỹen et al, 2022 ).…”