This study investigates post-truth messaging and participatory disinformation on Twitter, focusing on the activities of Craig Kelly, a former Australian member of parliament and a key figure previously accused of spreading health misinformation in Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic. We draw on Harsin's conceptualisation of post truth communication to analyse 4317 tweets and 5.2 million interactions with Kelly's account and his network of followers over a six-month period. Our novel empirical approach, combining coordination network analysis with a forensic qualitative approach, explores the participatory nature of online interaction, where fringe actors mobilise around Kelly's tweets. The findings demonstrate how political figures have a privileged and outsized role in public discourse, undermining scientific institutions and promoting anti-deliberative politics. This research underscores the role of participatory disinformation in the post-truth era and suggests that regulators, governments, and social media platforms work collaboratively to develop a whole-of-society framework to tackle misinformation.

中文翻译：

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探索政治精英在社交媒体后真相传播中的作用

这项研究调查了 Twitter 上的后真相消息和参与性虚假信息，重点关注澳大利亚前议员克雷格·凯利 (Craig Kelly) 的活动，他是此前被指控在 COVID-19 大流行期间在澳大利亚传播健康错误信息的关键人物。我们利用哈辛的后真相传播概念来分析 6 个月内的 4317 条推文以及与凯利账户及其关注者网络的 520 万次互动。我们新颖的实证方法将协调网络分析与法医定性方法相结合，探索了在线互动的参与性本质，其中边缘演员围绕凯利的推文进行动员。研究结果表明，政治人物如何在公共话语中发挥特权和巨大作用，破坏科学机构并促进反协商政治。这项研究强调了参与性虚假信息在后真相时代的作用，并建议监管机构、政府和社交媒体平台合作开发一个全社会框架来应对虚假信息。