A 2021 document from the United States government labeled websites like Reddit and Twitch, along with Discord and other “gaming” websites as sources for possible disinformation.
The document was created by the USAID in collaboration with researchers from the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago.
The government file was allegedly meant to help its employees and partners understand where disinformation comes from and how it is spread.
On one page, the file named 4chan and Discord “or gaming platforms like Twitch” as platforms that allow users to coordinate and grow followings in order to spread “false content” across other platforms.
‘The alternative media ecosystem has become a prominent driver of disinformation.’
The government said that the information can then be spread on Twitter or Reddit before it is “amplified further” on YouTube or Facebook.
“Journalists, politicians, and influencers find the content and push it on to even larger audiences,” the document read.
It continued, saying that “disinformation” is taking over the internet and has become incredibly challenging to “inoculate” people against.
Another page attempted to pinpoint “alt-media” spaces as other sources of disinformation, which of course included gaming websites.
This also mentioned “Redditt,” 4chan, Discord, RT, and other “gaming sites.”
The authors also claimed that a failure to address these issues threatens government efforts to counter “disinformation.”
Authors also provided possible solutions to employees, such as supporting “fact-checking initiatives,” supporting “media literacy initiatives,” and conducting a “disinformation diagnostic.”
