# Text Analysis Methods for Misinformation-Related Research on Finnish Language Twitter
## 2 Overview of Key Concepts  
Simultaneously with the COVID-19 pandemic, the world is struggling with an \"infodemic\". Infodemic is information overload about a problem, which makes discovering a solution cumbersome, and it can spread misinformation and disinformation [22; 23]. \"Misinformation\" and \"disinformation,\" together with \"fake news,\" are related concepts, now excessively utilized both by academics and other information providers. The proliferation in the use of the concepts and the lack of generally agreed definitions, has led to interchangeable use [23]. Misinformation is defined as false, mistaken, or misleading information [24], and as a type of claim that can be verified and that has been confirmed to be false [23]. It refers to forms of factually inaccurate information that is propagated inadvertently [25], often considered as an honest mistake [4]. Some studies use misinformation as an umbrella term when referring to false information circulating online [1]. Misinformation, disinformation, and fake news are three distinct concepts, although similar characteristics are detectable in the definitions used. Other potentially conceptually overlapping with misinformation are propaganda, conspiracy theories, and false rumors [23]. Disinformation, in addition to the falseness of the information, includes the purposeful intention by the sender or information provider, and thus distributed, asserted, or disseminated--often online--to mislead, deceive, or confuse [1; 24; 25; 26; 27]. The communication of misinformation has a social function: (1) it is comprehended as a type of collective sense-making, and (2) it subverts outgroups or rivals [23]. Moreover, disinformation is considered a direct manifestation of this function, containing deliberately deceptive and propagated information that purposefully weakens public support of a competing body, e.g., as in the U.S. presidential election campaigns [23]. Fake news is one of the information disorders of misinformation and disinformation [3]. It is a notably effective vehicle for disinformation. Fake news is fabricated information that mimics news media content in form [3], i.e., disguised as journalistic articles [27; 28]. Fake news is pushed onto newsfeed platforms [27; 28] like Twitter. Although its form resembles news, the organizational process or intent of fake news does not. The outlets lack editorial norms and processes of the news media, where accuracy and credibility of information are ensured [3]. Thus, fake news exploits the credibility, timeliness, and the variety of sensitive topics of journalism [27; 28]. At its core, it is perniciously parasitic, benefiting from the standard media outlets, yet undermining their credibility [3]. The difficulty in differentiating fake news from traditional news is due to their similarity. They both share an inverted pyramid format, timeliness, negativity and prominence, and subjects such as politics and government. The only two differences are the lack of objectivity, including the opinion of their author(s) and the value of impact because fake news sites focus on trivial stories [29]. Thus, the recipient, journalist, or reader of a news article usually cannot recognize the manipulation [20]. As a concept, fake news avoids any agreed definition [1; 30], although it goes back centuries, and it became a buzzword particularly after the 2016 presidential elections in the United States [28; 29]. Therefore, it currently has a political flavor [1; 3; 17], but vaccination, nutrition, and the stock market are also topics of fake news [3]. The research on fake news has focused a lot on the \"fakeness,\" i.e., the deception as well as the motivation of the deceivers [29]. Furthermore, the focus of the research has been on the role of social media in facilitating the dissemination of fake news.