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Mapping the information integrity landscape in West Africa: An annotated bibliography

Zara Schoeder, Liz Orembo, Marie Batista

Cape Town: Research ICT Africa (2025), 26 pp.

"This annotated bibliography is organised into four sections. Section 1 demonstrates how disinformation emerges as the most prominent topic in the literature on information integrity. Several different kinds of agents of disinformation operate within West Africaʼs information sphere. These range fr ... om political actors and interest groups to foreign entities and social media influencers. Each exploits social fault lines to sway public opinion, particularly in the lead-up to elections and during conflicts. An organised network of influence narratives – which can sometimes be complex and include both local and foreign disinformation-for-hire merchants complemented by a network of informed but polarised citizens – forms part of the machinery of political campaigns. This machinery transcends elections to become a way of governance as governments continue to rely on it to deflect accountability and manipulate public discourse. Section 2 describes the events around which information disorders are promoted. During periods of political instability, elections, or armed conflicts, information disorders often emerge as key drivers of mass action. In these contexts, disinformation and hate speech are weaponised to incite violence, manipulate public sentiment, and deepen ethnic and religious divisions. Ethnicity and religion frequently become fault lines that disinformation campaigns exploit to divide communities and trigger mass actions such as violent protests, or for widespread voter manipulation. In the case of elections, disinformation is used to sway voter opinions by distorting candidatesʼ positions or spreading fabricated narratives about political opponents. Likewise, in conflict situations, armed groups and militant organisations may use information disorders to recruit new members by promoting extremist ideologies, spreading fear, or creating a sense of urgency. Politicians and conflict groups alike have learned to manipulate these divisions for their agendas, making information integrity a critical issue for social cohesion, democratic stability, and peacebuilding in the region. Section 3 covers literature on fact-checking as one of the measures to mitigate information disorders. Artificial Intelligence (AI) can scale up fact-checking efforts by detecting and scaling up the distribution of correct information. However, even using AI for fact-checking experiences significant limitations. For example, local languages make it hard for AI to detect disinformation and hate speech in all instances. When misinformation is shared on instant messaging platforms like Telegram channels it is also difficult for an ordinary user to detect. Section 4 covers media literacy as an antidote to information disorders, especially disinformation. UNESCO has been at the forefront of addressing information integrity issues in West Africa through its research and media literacy programmes. Recognising the role of accurate and reliable information in fostering peace, democracy, and development, UNESCO has sought to promote the importance of information integrity by partnering with governments, civil society organisations, and media outlets to combat disinformation. Additionally, UNESCOʼs media literacy programmes aim to empower citizens with the skills to critically evaluate and engage with information, fostering a more informed and resilient public.8 These initiatives are particularly important in an era where digital media plays such a significant role in shaping opinions and driving political discourse." (Introduction, pages 3-4) more

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How digital wellness is represented in school digital literacy and citizenship models: a qualitative comparative analysis

Jennifer Laffier, Madison Westley, Aalyia Rehman

Academia Mental Health and Well-Being, issue 2 (2025), 10 pp.

"Research has begun to examine the role of digital wellness in educational contexts, suggesting that cultivating competencies such as self-regulation, emotional resilience, and intentional technology use may support healthier digital engagement and enhance both academic learning and student well-bei ... more

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Expanding Our Understanding of Evidence for Meaningful Participation

Trimita Chakma, Georgia Booth, Ruby Johnson

Amsterdam: Porticus; Closer Than You Think Collective (2024), 60 pp.

"We developed the Evidence Quality Rubric, a tool that balances conventional research standards with inclusion factors, such as representation, power analysis, and bias interrogation, which can be applied to assess the quality of existing evidence. The Evidence Quality Rubric, applied to 20 case stu ... dies, reveals that solely using conventional standards of triangulation, methodology, and validation provides an incomplete assessment of evidence quality in participatory practices. These conventional standards exhibit a wide range of quality in the case studies, from limited to excellent. However, relying only on conventional standards neglects elements captured by the inclusion standards, such as representation, power dynamics, and bias. These are essential for evaluating participatory approaches involving excluded communities. For instance, a blog post by a refugee leader (case study #6) scored low on conventional standards due to a lack of formal methodology, but excelled on inclusion by directly amplifying refugee voices and examining power dynamics. Conversely, even research considered strong by conventional standards, such as a monitoring report on a migration project (case study #13), had limitations in representing stakeholder perspectives and analysing power when assessed through an inclusion lens. Notably, some studies demonstrated high quality across both sets of standards. A meta-synthesis of evaluations of refugee-led organisations (case study #10) and an evaluation of a youth participatory grantmaking pilot (case study #19) employed rigorous methodologies while also centring marginalised voices and critically examining power and bias. Both examples showcase that the inclusion standards contribute to a more comprehensive, nuanced, and context-sensitive evaluation of the evidence alongside conventional standards. This expanded assessment framework is essential for recognising the unique value and challenges of participatory approaches and ensuring that the experiences and perspectives of excluded communities are adequately considered in the evaluation of evidence quality. While the Evidence Quality Rubric has highlighted the strengths and weaknesses of various case studies in terms of conventional and inclusion standards, it is clear that a more structured approach is necessary to generate inclusive evidence that also meets the basic conventional standards. In response, we propose the Inclusive Evidence Guidelines to provide practical guidance for participatory evidence gathering that reflects the priorities of affected communities. These guidelines emphasise principles such as centring participant perspectives, co-designing locally relevant methods, conducting systematic analysis, applying intersectional lenses, and ensuring accountability to communities. Overall, we emphasise the importance of documenting participation not just to meet donor demands but to facilitate learning and promote a more holistic understanding of the effectiveness of participation in contributing to our missions. The aim is to enhance transparency, fairness, and effectiveness in philanthropic practices through documented evidence." (Executive summary, page 8) more

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China’s digital expansion in the Global South: Systematic literature review and future research agenda

Richard Heeks, Angelica Valeria Ospina, Christopher Foster, Pin Gao, Xia Han et al.

Information Society, volume 40, issue 2 (2024), pp. 69-95

"At the intersection of China’s growing global presence and growing digital power lies its digital expansion in the low- and middle-income countries of the Global South. Worth billions of US$ annually in trade and investment, and having a significant impact on these countries’social and economic ... more

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Tackling Misinformation with Games: A Systematic Literature Review

Kristian Kiili, Juho Siuko, Manuel Ninaus

Interactive Learning Environments, volume 32, issue 10 (2024), pp. 7086-7101

"Misinformation and fake news are severe threats to society. The role of critical reading skills is crucial in the battle against misinformation. Despite the promising results of game-based interventions to mitigate the effects of misinformation, the corpus of research on games supporting critical r ... more

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In/Visibility in the Digital Age: A Literature Review From a Communication Studies Perspective

Helena et al. Stehle

International Journal of Communication, volume 18 (2024), pp. 5471-5493

"Visibility and its counterpart, invisibility, are critical concepts in digital communication, although research on these concepts in communication studies has rarely been reflected on in an integrative way. This article aims to map key discussions in current research on in/visibility from a communi ... more

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Mapping Chinese Digital Nationalism: A Literature Review

Xiaoyu Zhang, Delia Dumitrica, Jeroen Jansz

International Journal of Communication, volume 18 (2024), pp. 1891-1912

"A growing empirical scholarship examines the rise of Chinese digital nationalism. This scholarship remains scattered across disciplinary and area studies journals, making it difficult to systematize findings and identify knowledge gaps. We review N = 71 peerreviewed articles and book chapters (1990 ... more

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A Literature Review on Detecting, Verifying, and Mitigating Online Misinformation

Arezo Bodaghi, Ketra A. Schmitt, Pierre Watine, Benjamin C. M. Fung

IEEE Transactions on Computational Social Systems, volume 11, issue 4 (2024), pp. 5119-5145

"This survey focuses on six key aspects related to misinformation: 1) clarify the definition of misinformation to differentiate it from intentional forms of false information; 2) categorize proposed approaches to manage misinformation into three types: detection, verification, and mitigation; 3) rev ... more

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Vaccination Communication Strategies and Uptake in Africa: A Systematic Review

Winfred Ekezie, Beauty Igein, Jomon Varughese, Ayesha Butt, Blessing Onyinye Ukoha-Kalu, Ifunanya Ikhile, Genevieve Bosah

Vaccines, volume 12, issue 1333 (2024), 31 pp.

"African countries experience high rates of infectious diseases that are mostly preventable by vaccination. Despite the risks of infections and other adverse outcomes, vaccination coverage in the African region remains significantly low. Poor vaccination knowledge is a contributory factor, and effec ... more

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Examining the Journalism Philanthropy Model: A Literature Review

Louisa Lincoln

International Journal of Communication, volume 18 (2024), pp. 889–907

"Amid the decline of commercial local news in the United States, another model has emerged as a growing alternative: philanthropy-supported journalism. Although foundation-funded journalism is not a particularly new model, the field has seen an influx of charitable funds in recent years—since 2009 ... more

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Barriers to Press Freedoms in Central America: Literature Review Report

Manuel Alejandro Guerrero

USAID (2024), 40 pp.

"Literature on Central America’s media landscape over the last two decades documents significant obstacles to press freedom. Professional, independent journalism faces structural challenges rooted in the excessive concentration of political, economic, and social influence. From a political economy ... more

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Systematic Literature Review on Public Engagement via Government Social Media during the COVID-19 Crisis

Jingjing Guo, Julia Winza Mod Zawawi, Syafila Kamarudin

Red Fame, volume 12, issue 3 (2024), pp. 188-200

"Public engagement on government social media platforms can boost public trust in government while also improving and speeding up the distribution of health information. The importance of public engagement and its widespread existence have promoted extensive academic research on this channel. The pu ... more

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Mapping Scholarship on Algorithmic Bias: Conceptualization, Empirical Results, and Ethical Concerns

Seungahn Nah, Jun Luo, Jungseock Joo

International Journal of Communication, volume 18 (2024), pp. 548-569

"As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes more seamlessly integrated into our social life, the unfair outcomes and ethical issues associated with AI and its subtechnologies have been widely discussed in scholarly work across disciplines in recent years. This study provides an overview of the conceptu ... more

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The impact of digital technologies on well-being: Main insights from the literature

Jihye Lee, Ziga Zarnic

OECD (2024), 60 pp.

"Digital technologies are reshaping our lives, with significant impacts on personal and societal well-being. As these technologies are increasingly integrated into everyday life, it is crucial to raise awareness on their positive and negative impacts which are reviewed in this paper. While innovatio ... more

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Hallin and Mancini: Two Decades of Influence in Politics and Communications

Daniel Corral de la Mata, José Ramón Sarmiento Guede, María García de Blanes Sebastián

Media and Communication, volume 12, issue 7695 (2024), 19 pp.

"Since its publication in 2004, Hallin and Mancini's model has become a pioneer in understanding the dynamics of media systems in different national contexts. Many studies related to politics that identify the patterns, trends, and variations used by communication systems in different countries and ... more

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Metastudie "Nachhaltigkeitseffekte der Digitalisierung": Eine Auswertung aktueller Studien zur (quantitativen) Bemessung der Umwelteffekte durch die Digitalisierung

Jan Stede, Christian Lautermann et al.

Berlin: Technopolis; Institut für ökologische Wirtschaftsforschung (2024), ix, 96 pp.

"In dieser Studie werden auf Basis der Literaturanalyse eine Vielzahl an Anwendungsfällen mit besonders hohen Potenzialen für positive Umwelteffekte identifiziert. Insbesondere im Energiebereich gibt es eine Vielzahl von vergleichsweise gut erforschten Anwendungsfällen. Hierzu zählt beispielswei ... se der Einsatz von Smart Metering und preisdynamischen Tarifen. Auch Automatisierung und Monitoring im Gebäudebereich können den Energieverbrauch deutlich verringern. Durch Digitalisierung im Energiesektor kann außerdem das Abregeln erneuerbarer Energien vermieden werden. Im Bereich Verkehr können Technologien wie Internet of Things (IoT) und 5G z. B. die THG-Emissionen im Güterverkehr deutlich senken. Die positiven Umweltpotenziale der Digitalisierung sind jedoch nicht auf das Einsparen von CO2-Emissionen beschränkt. In der Landwirtschaft können z. B. durch den Einsatz von Precision Farming durch digital gestütztes Monitoring der Einsatz von Pflanzenschutzmitteln und Bewässerung reduziert werden. Trotz einer Vielzahl von Studien, die sich mit Umwelteffekten von Digitalisierung beschäftigen, ist der Wissensstand über das Ausmaß der Potenziale in vielen Bereichen jedoch immer noch lückenhaft. In den für diese Studie analysierten Veröffentlichungen wird eine Vielzahl von digitalen Technologien und Anwendungsfällen qualitativ bzw. anekdotisch als sehr relevant beschrieben, es fehlen jedoch in der Regel Quantifizierungen. Obwohl z. B. für den Bereich KI viele Veröffentlichungen identifiziert wurden, enthielten nur wenige quantifizierte Analysen, auch Bilanzierungen fehlten zum Teil. Diese Studien wurden daher nur begrenzt in die Metastudie miteinbezogen, deuten aber auf ein potenziell disruptives Potenzial von KI in manchen Anwendungsbereichen hin (z. B. im Bereich Klimaanpassung kann KI durch die Verbesserung von Prognosen die Reaktionsfähigkeit auf Umweltereignisse erhöhen). Mit der Digitalisierung gehen neben Umweltchancen auch negative Umwelteffekte einher. Zu den negativen Effekten der Digitalisierung gehören direkte Effekte, die durch den Energie- und Ressourcenverbrauch der Produktion und den Betrieb digitaler Infrastruktur entstehen. Ein weiteres prominentes Beispiel sind negative systemische Effekte wie Rebound-Effekte. Daher führt Digitalisierung nicht zwangsläufig zu einer Verringerung des Ressourcenverbrauchs. Positive Umwelteffekte der Digitalisierung gehen oft auf positive Enabling-Effekte wie Optimierungs- und Substitutionseffekte zurück, oder ergeben sich durch den Wandel zu nachhaltigen Verhaltens- und Konsummustern. Im Fokus der Literatur stehen meist positive Enabling-Effekte. Die vorhandenen Quantifizierungen konzentrieren sich meist auf die Potenziale digitaler Technologien (die positiven Enabling-Effekte). Nur in wenigen Studien werden vor- und nachgelagerte Umwelteffekte der Produktion der digitalen Technologien sowie weitere systemische Effekte wie Rebound-Effekte in die Umweltbewertung mit einbezogen. Eine übergeordnete Bewertung der Gesamtbilanz digitaler Technologien im Rahmen wissenschaftlicher Analysen wird somit erschwert. Bei vielen Studien handelt es sich zudem um Fallstudien, die Umwelteffekte unter sehr spezifischen Rahmenbedingungen ermitteln. Es ist daher häufig nicht klar, inwieweit sich diese Potenziale skalieren bzw. auf andere Kontexte übertragen lassen. Schließlich werden Umweltauswirkungen häufig auf CO2-Äq. verkürzt und auf eine breitere Betrachtung von Umwelteffekten im Sinne von Ressourcenverbrauch wird oft verzichtet." (Zusammenfassung, Seite 7-8) more

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Libros infantiles para el desarrollo sostenible

Lorena Panche (coord.)

Bogotá: Centro Regional para el Fomento del Libro en América Latina y el Caribe (CERLALC) (2024), 76 pp.

"[...] este catálogo —iniciativa conjunta del Centro Regional para el Fomento del Libro en América Latina y el Caribe, Cerlalc, y la región de América Latina y el Caribe de la Organización Internacional para el Libro Juvenil, IBBY, por su sigla en inglés— cobra especial relevancia al ofrec ... more

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Future directions for context in ICT4D: A systematic literature review

Sonel Pyram

Information Development (2024), 21 pp.

"The digital divide between the Global South and North has been a major concern for researchers from various fields in the past two decades. This divide has led to an increased focus on research related to information and communication technology for development (ICT4D) and other relevant discipline ... more

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Streaming, Chatting, Modding: Eine Kurzexploration extremistischer Aktivitäten auf Gaming- und gaming-nahen Plattformen

Constantin Winkler, Lars Wiegold, Linda Schlegel, Judith Jaskowski

Frankfurt am Main: Leibniz-Institut für Friedens- und Konfliktforschung (PRIF); Forschungsverbund RadiGaMe (2024), 60 pp.

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A systematic review of photovoice research methods with people with intellectual disabilities

Deborah Chinn, Bogdan Balota

Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, volume 36, issue 4 (2023), pp. 1-14

"Photovoice is an arts-based participatory action research methodology that is growing in popularity. Our aim was to systematically review photovoice research with people with intellectual disabilities to describe the current'state of the art' and identify areas for further methodological considerat ... more