Vera Tolz-Zilitinkevic1; 1 The University of Manchester, UK
Discussion
This paper examines the evolving discourse of “disinformation” as an influence tactic, tracing its trajectory from nineteenth-century America through the Cold War to the present digital age. It foregrounds the US–Soviet rivalry as the pivotal arena in which the term gained political salience, shaping not only mutual perceptions but also broader global narratives of democracy versus communism. By situating disinformation discourse within this identity struggle, the paper shows how it functioned as a tool of othering, projecting anxieties and constructing alter-egos across geopolitical divides.
