Verification Gestures by Twitter Users: Media Materials and Vernacular Investigations

This article summarises a four-year research experiment (2018-2022) conducted as part of the ANR VIJIE project, exploring information verification practices. It focuses on the vernacular practices of Twitter users engaged in independent investigations and critical actions on the platform. Taking inspiration from digital ethnography, the authors provide insights into their methodology, which involved collecting diverse media materials related to “fake news” and fact-checking, emphasising the significance of private messages (DMs) in this project’s aims. The article outlines three key dimensions for analysing these vernacular investigations—figures, events, and gestures—that reflect on the evolving landscape of information verification and fact-checking practices using socio-semiotic and documentary perspectives. This study and its thematic collections of screenshots and publications contribute to a deeper cultural understanding of verification gestures within digital spaces.