The Critique of Pure Information Disinformation, Misinformation, and Democratic Life

Preface; 1. Infocentrism: The Information (Dis-)Order of Things Part 1. The Rise of Infocentrism: A Conceptual History of Dis-/misinformation 2. Misinformation and Disinformation in English and French: A Conceptual History; 3. A Historical, Systematic, and Critical Review of Dis-/Misinformation Research; 4. From Communication Theory to Dis-/Misinformation Research: Infocentrism, Information, and the Neglect of Form Part 2. The Challenge of Visual and Multimodal Forms of Political Deception for Dis-/Misinformation Theory 5. Images, Political Deception, and Information: Memes and other Supra-informational Media; 6. A Non-Infocentric Alternative: Form-Attentive Analysis of Deceptive Communication; 7. Introducing the False Trump Quotation Zombie Meme: Remixes and Fact-Checks; 8. The Rhetoric of the Meme: Beyond Cognitivist and Infocentric Explanations of Dis-/Misbelief; 9. The Zombie Meme in Platform Circulation: Form, Engagement, and Public Uptake; 10. Dis-/Misinformation Solutions and the Limits of Informational Ontology; Conclusion: Beyond Infocentric Democracy and Communication: Towards a Rhetorical Ontology; Supplementary to Chapter 2: Full Bibliographic Inventory of Dictionaries Consulted; Appendix chapter two; Appendix chapter three; Appendix chapter five; Appendix chapter ten; Index

Biography

Jayson Harsin is Professor of Communication, Media & Culture and Director of the Center for the study of Media, Communication, and Global Change, The American University of Paris, France.

"Nearly a decade into what is too often simplistically framed as "fake news," or "disinformation," Harsin tackles the many lacunae in this literature with force, clarity and urgency. Among them? Its failure to clearly define its signature concept, information, or to question the conduit model of communication; its neglect of the rhetorical and formal processes and properties that make deception successful; and its amnesia about older traditions like propaganda and rumor. The book truly shines in showing the alternative in practice, from a conceptual history of the field's keywords to a close rhetorical analysis of deceptive communication in circulation. Harsin centers the sort of historical sensibility and analytical rigor that much of the literature has otherwise marginalized."

-- Gabriella Coleman, Ernest E. Monrad Professor of the Social Sciences, Harvard University, USA

"The Critique of Pure Information is a bold call for reorienting scholarship and public discussion regarding the miasma of deception, lies, fantasies, and fraud that is polluting public life. The problem is not limited to naming, much less regulating, the perpetrators and their techniques. Harsin goes deeper, arguing that failure to deal effectively with mis- and dis-information follows from relying too much on “information” as a concept for understanding public communication. His exploration of that problem draws on a remarkable array of scholars in multiple disciplines and examines all-too-familiar examples of contemporary media. This is a book for both scholars and students, and it will be sure to prompt engaging discussions in the undergraduate classroom and graduate seminars."

-- Robert Hariman, Owen L. Coon Professor of Argumentation and Debate, Northwestern University, USA

"Ambitious in scope and precise in execution, The Critique of Pure Information is a powerful critique of the idea that democracy can be fixed by better information. It adeptly reframes misinformation as a problem of rhetoric, form, and public culture, and in doing so, changes the terms of the debate."

-- Adrienne Russell, Mary Laird Wood Professor of Communication, University of Washington, USA

"Harsin explores the shifting, complex relationships between ideas of democracy, the growth of ‘information’ as an analytic concept and the changing forms of rhetorical expression. He is wonderfully alert to what is being left out by too narrow an emphasis on informational issues, arguing the need for broader, richer terms of critical engagement with the present state of media-political relations and with politics itself. Sharpness of argument is combined with breadth of scope."

-- John Corner, Emeritus Professor, University of Liverpool, UK