From Disinformation to Political Crises: The Destination of Structured Knowledge

Today, information is recognized as the main factor of production. Humanity is living in the era of information society with the developments in information and communication technologies, and therefore the processing, preservation and dissemination of information is of utmost importance. Another concept that has come to the forefront with technological developments and digitalization is the concept of “war without borders”, which also includes hybrid wars. As a matter of fact, the wars of the information society continue beyond the notions of border and distance. All activities that can harm social integrity, polarize societies and create insecurity, conflict and instability are important components of war without borders. Due to the many features and conveniences it provides, public discourse in a digitalized society is now shaped on social and other internet platforms. Therefore, these platforms have become a target for both states and other interest groups. “Structured information”, which corresponds to disinformation, misinformation, and fake news concepts, is circulated on these platforms instead of traditional methods to reach its targets and has serious consequences, including crises. Essentially, the study seeks to answer the question "Why and how does structured knowledge shape human behaviour in practice? After providing the necessary definitions, the article aims to show the relationship between structured knowledge and social psychology, political psychology and political crises. The study uses a qualitative research method, a literature review technique and a descriptive analysis. In terms of theoretical foundations, it discusses why and how disinformation processes can have critical consequences with current examples from Türkiye and the world. In conclusion, the role and importance of social and political psychology in the combat against structured information has been demonstrated, and it has been assessed that the journey of structured information, which can turn into political crises, passes through these fields.