Understanding the Psychological Needs at Play in Disinformation

The work described in this paper explores the intersection of computer science, linguistics, and psychology in the realm of disinformation on social media. By analyzing textual content on Twitter, specifically propaganda, fake news, and rumors, we investigate the underlying motivations and patterns behind the production of disinformation. We apply the Human Needs Theory (HNT) to understand the psychological processes driving the emotions expressed in disinformation tweets. Our findings highlight distinct patterns across different types of disinformation, shedding light on the complex relationship between linguistic behavior and psychological factors.