Tracking the impact of fake news on us election cycles

Access to accurate information is paramount to sound decision-making, improves societal trust in governmental and civil society structures and builds civic unity. Disinformation impacts societies' well-being, physical and mental health, financial welfare and even the ability to withstand external aggression. Changes in the way that individuals acquire information resulted in new approaches to influence society. In politics, disinformation is a growing concern, threatening the credibility of democratic processes. This paper investigated the degree to which misinformation was present during recent US election years by analyzing data on two major social media platforms. The findings show that such events are connected to increases in disinformation activity despite efforts taken by social media companies.