Conspiracy theories and misinformation in digital media: An international expert assessment of challenges, trends, and interventions

Abstract The rise of conspiracy theories and misinformation in digital media has sparked intense debates among scholars, journalists, and policymakers about the challenges posed by these phenomena and potential responses. However, these discussions tend to remain narrowly focused on specific issues, stakeholders, or individual-level strategies, with limited attention paid to anticipatory impact assessment. To address these shortcomings, we conducted an integrative, three-wave Delphi study involving an expert panel of 47 scholars and practitioners from 13 countries to identify current challenges, anticipate problematic trends, and develop actionable interventions. The challenges, trends, and interventions discussed span ten thematic areas, including governance of and by platforms, platform design, journalism and news media ecosystems, research and science communication ecosystems, societal dynamics, socio-political institutions, and individual behavior. The paper concludes with methodological reflections, discussing the possibilities and limitations of Delphi methods in addressing complex, interdisciplinary issues.