How Do States and Non-state Actors Use Social Media for Deception and Disinformation?

State-sponsored deception and disinformation pose severe threats to conflict resolution and peacebuilding by exacerbating tensions between groups, delegitimizing democratic norms, and degrading shared realities necessary for reconciliation and coexistence. This chapter examines how states utilize emerging technologies and social media to intentionally spread misleading narratives that manipulate public discourse to achieve political objectives. It uses the concept of the “deception order”—networks of state and non-state actors that enable sophisticated disinformation campaigns—to explain the assemblage of state and non-state actors that erode trust and social cohesion. Through empirical examples attributed to Russia, China, the United States, Saudi Arabia, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and others, it highlights techniques including computational propaganda, astroturfing, pseudo-events, information laundering, and organized smear campaigns. While critiquing Western-centric analyses, the chapter argues that the proliferation of state deception can worsen polarization, aggravate conflicts, obstruct dialogue, and thus destabilize global politics. As deception becomes normalized, the public becomes disillusioned and increasingly divided. By fragmenting shared truths and perceptions, state-sponsored deception threatens foundations for reconciliation and risks escalating tensions toward unrest or violence.