A Cross-Domain Study of the Use of Persuasion Techniques in Online Disinformation

Disinformation, irrespective of domain or language, aims to deceive or manipulate public opinion, typically employing advanced persuasion techniques. Qualitative and quantitative research on the weaponisation of persuasion techniques in disinformation narratives, however, has been mostly limited to specific topics (e.g., COVID-19).To address this gap, our study conducts a large-scale, multi-domain analysis of the role of 16 persuasion techniques in disinformation narratives, by leveraging a state-of-the-art persuasion technique classifier. We demonstrate how different persuasion techniques are employed disproportionately in different disinformation domains. We also include an in-depth case study on climate change disinformation, which demonstrates how linguistic, psychological, and cultural factors shape the adaptation of persuasion strategies to fit unique thematic contexts.