Fake News as a Floating Signifier: Hegemony, Antagonism and the Politics of Falsehood

Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review

Standard

Fake News as a Floating Signifier : Hegemony, Antagonism and the Politics of Falsehood. / Farkas, Johan; Schou, Jannick.

In: Javnost - the Public, Vol. 25, No. 3, 2018, p. 298-314.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review

Harvard

Farkas, J & Schou, J 2018, 'Fake News as a Floating Signifier: Hegemony, Antagonism and the Politics of Falsehood', Javnost - the Public, vol. 25, no. 3, pp. 298-314. https://doi.org/10.1080/13183222.2018.1463047

APA

Farkas, J., & Schou, J. (2018). Fake News as a Floating Signifier: Hegemony, Antagonism and the Politics of Falsehood. Javnost - the Public, 25(3), 298-314. https://doi.org/10.1080/13183222.2018.1463047

Vancouver

Farkas J, Schou J. Fake News as a Floating Signifier: Hegemony, Antagonism and the Politics of Falsehood. Javnost - the Public. 2018;25(3):298-314. https://doi.org/10.1080/13183222.2018.1463047

Author

Farkas, Johan ; Schou, Jannick. / Fake News as a Floating Signifier : Hegemony, Antagonism and the Politics of Falsehood. In: Javnost - the Public. 2018 ; Vol. 25, No. 3. pp. 298-314.

Bibtex

@article{2069d618de174bc78d894579b914e681,
title = "Fake News as a Floating Signifier: Hegemony, Antagonism and the Politics of Falsehood",
abstract = "“Fake news” has emerged as a global buzzword. While prominent media outlets, such as The New York Times, CNN, and Buzzfeed News, have used the term to designate misleading information spread online, President Donald Trump has used the term as a negative designation of these very “mainstream media.” In this article, we argue that the concept of “fake news” has become an important component in contemporary political struggles. We showcase how the term is utilised by different positions within the social space as means of discrediting, attacking and delegitimising political opponents. Excavating three central moments within the construction of “fake news,” we argue that the term has increasingly become a “floating signifier”: a signifier lodged in-between different hegemonic projects seeking to provide an image of how society is and ought to be structured. By approaching “fake news” from the viewpoint of discourse theory, the paper reframes the current stakes of the debate and contributes with new insights into the function and consequences of “fake news” as a novel political category.",
keywords = "Faculty of Humanities, Fake news, demokrati, diskursteori, misinformation, desinformation",
author = "Johan Farkas and Jannick Schou",
year = "2018",
doi = "10.1080/13183222.2018.1463047",
language = "English",
volume = "25",
pages = "298--314",
journal = "Javnost",
issn = "1318-3222",
publisher = "Euricom, European Institute for Communication and Culture",
number = "3",

}

RIS

TY - JOUR

T1 - Fake News as a Floating Signifier

T2 - Hegemony, Antagonism and the Politics of Falsehood

AU - Farkas, Johan

AU - Schou, Jannick

PY - 2018

Y1 - 2018

N2 - “Fake news” has emerged as a global buzzword. While prominent media outlets, such as The New York Times, CNN, and Buzzfeed News, have used the term to designate misleading information spread online, President Donald Trump has used the term as a negative designation of these very “mainstream media.” In this article, we argue that the concept of “fake news” has become an important component in contemporary political struggles. We showcase how the term is utilised by different positions within the social space as means of discrediting, attacking and delegitimising political opponents. Excavating three central moments within the construction of “fake news,” we argue that the term has increasingly become a “floating signifier”: a signifier lodged in-between different hegemonic projects seeking to provide an image of how society is and ought to be structured. By approaching “fake news” from the viewpoint of discourse theory, the paper reframes the current stakes of the debate and contributes with new insights into the function and consequences of “fake news” as a novel political category.

AB - “Fake news” has emerged as a global buzzword. While prominent media outlets, such as The New York Times, CNN, and Buzzfeed News, have used the term to designate misleading information spread online, President Donald Trump has used the term as a negative designation of these very “mainstream media.” In this article, we argue that the concept of “fake news” has become an important component in contemporary political struggles. We showcase how the term is utilised by different positions within the social space as means of discrediting, attacking and delegitimising political opponents. Excavating three central moments within the construction of “fake news,” we argue that the term has increasingly become a “floating signifier”: a signifier lodged in-between different hegemonic projects seeking to provide an image of how society is and ought to be structured. By approaching “fake news” from the viewpoint of discourse theory, the paper reframes the current stakes of the debate and contributes with new insights into the function and consequences of “fake news” as a novel political category.

KW - Faculty of Humanities

KW - Fake news

KW - demokrati

KW - diskursteori

KW - misinformation

KW - desinformation

U2 - 10.1080/13183222.2018.1463047

DO - 10.1080/13183222.2018.1463047

M3 - Journal article

VL - 25

SP - 298

EP - 314

JO - Javnost

JF - Javnost

SN - 1318-3222

IS - 3

ER -

ID: 352126209