Fabio Giglietto
Professor of Internet Studies
University of Urbino
Department of Communication Sciences, Humanities and International Studies
About Me
Fabio Giglietto, PhD, is Professor of Internet Studies at the Department of Communication Sciences, Humanities and International Studies at the University of Urbino Carlo Bo. His research explores the intricate relationships between social systems, media, and digital technologies, with a focus on the theory of information, communication, and society. He teaches courses such as Generative AI and Media, and Digital Social Network Analysis. Professor Giglietto actively participates in professional discussions on platforms like BlueSky (@fabiogiglietto.bsky.social) and Mastodon, addressing topics such as platform policies and research methodologies.
Professor Giglietto's work encompasses social media analysis, computational social science, digital methods, and the study of information disorder. His research also focuses on how digital platforms influence public opinion and democratic processes. He leads the Mapping Italian News Research Program (MINE), which investigates Italian news media coverage and the impact of social media on Italian elections. He is also involved in the EU-funded Horizon Europe project VERAAI, developing AI-based tools for journalists and fact-checkers to verify multimedia content and combat disinformation, with a focus on detecting coordinated behavior and inauthentic networks. Additionally, he contributes to the EU-funded PROMPT initiative, which addresses disinformation narratives across Europe.
His publications have appeared in leading journals, including the Journal of Communication, Information, Communication & Society, the Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media, Social Media + Society, and Social Science Computer Review. His publications have garnered over 2200 citations. Recent work includes an analysis of Meta's political content reduction policy and its impact on the reach of Italian parliamentarians on Facebook. His current research interests include coordinated behavior detection, multimodal narratives, and the challenges of social media data access.
Recent Publications
"A Pretty Blunt Approach": Meta's Political Content Reduction Policy and Italian Parliamentarians' Facebook Visibility
Giglietto, F. (2025). "A Pretty Blunt Approach": Meta's Political Content Reduction Policy and Italian Parliamentarians' Facebook Visibility. Center for Open Science. https://doi.org/10.31235/osf.io/8dqag_v2
The State of Social Media Research APIs & Tools in the Digital Service Act Era
Giglietto, F. (2025). The State of Social Media Research APIs & Tools in the Digital Service Act Era. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.16269197
Manipolazione dei media ed influenza digitale. Sfide, tecnologie e risposte
Giglietto, F. (2025). Manipolazione dei media ed influenza digitale. Sfide, tecnologie e risposte. .
Viralità
Giglietto, F. (2025). Viralità. .
"A Pretty Blunt Approach": Meta's Political Content Reduction Policy and Italian Parliamentarians' Facebook Visibility
Giglietto, F. (2025). "A Pretty Blunt Approach": Meta's Political Content Reduction Policy and Italian Parliamentarians' Facebook Visibility. Center for Open Science. https://doi.org/10.31235/osf.io/8dqag_v1
Research Projects
vera.ai - VERification Assisted by Artificial Intelligence
An EU-funded Horizon Europe project that developed advanced AI-based tools to assist journalists and fact-checkers in verifying multimedia content and combating disinformation. As Work Package 4 leader, I focused on the detection of coordinated behavior and inauthentic networks spreading misleading content.
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PROMPT - Predictive Research On Misinformation and Narratives Propagation Trajectories
An EU-funded initiative focused on detecting and analyzing disinformation narratives across Europe, addressing sensitive issues including the war in Ukraine, LGBTQI+ rights, and European elections through the development of language models, monitoring dashboards, and educational resources for fact-checkers and journalists.
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MINE - Mapping Italian News Research Program
A research program investigating Italian news media coverage and the impact of social media on Italian elections, leveraging data from Social Science One and grant funding from the Social Science Research Council (SSRC).
Learn moreNews & Updates
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March 22, 2026
Recent studies are exploring various facets of online information ecosystems. One paper examines information pathways in online science communication, focusing on the roles of platform actors and news media. Another investigates dark patterns and their relationship to the EU Digital Services Act, mapping autonomy violations and design factors. Further research analyzes the failed migration of academics from Twitter, providing a case study of early adopters.
Read more -
March 16, 2026
Several new papers address the impact of AI on various aspects of society. One study focuses on AI hype within journalism, exploring visibility, power dynamics, and the politics of media narratives. Another investigates whether large language models can infer political alignment from online conversations. Finally, research examines the potential for deepfake technology to be used in financial fraud, and considers global regulatory approaches.
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March 14, 2026
Research is being conducted on the role of online platforms and coordinated behavior in political contexts. A paper analyzes connective action and digital repression during China’s COVID-19 protests through computational analysis of multilingual activity on Twitter. In addition, a study investigates how Serbia's SNS party employs coordinated inauthentic behavior to mimic genuine support online.
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Recent Web and News Mentions
Facebook premia gli estremisti: la ricerca dell'Università di Urbino - Lumsanews
SOS! ORA L’ALGORITMO PUNTA SUI ‘COMPLOTTISTI’: “INTERVENIRE SUBITO!” - ByoBlu
Meno contenuti politici nei feed, la stretta di Meta è stata meno efficace contro gli estremisti - Il Sole 24 ORE
Less political content in feeds, Meta's clampdown less effective against extremists - Il Sole 24 ORE
Katharina Esau Was Awarded an ARC Discovery Early Career Researcher Award 2026 - Oncodaily
While they're pretty smart, they might occasionally hallucinate a publication or get creative with facts. Take it with a grain of digital salt! 🧂