Fabio Giglietto
Full Professor of Internet Studies
University of Urbino
Department of Communication Sciences, Humanities and International Studies
About Me
Fabio Giglietto is Full Professor of Internet Studies at the Università di Urbino Carlo Bo, where he teaches Generative AI and Media and Digital Social Network Analysis. He earned his doctorate at the same institution. His scientific activity is located at the intersection of computational social science, analysis of digital platforms and political communication, with a specific focus on the study of information disorders and coordinated behaviour on social media.
He is the founder and coordinator of the Mapping Italian News Research Program (MINE) — https://mine.uniurb.it/ — active at the University of Urbino since 2017. MINE investigates Italian media coverage and the impact of social media on electoral processes, public opinion and health information, and has hosted a succession of externally funded sub-projects supported by the Open Society Foundations, the Social Science Research Council (with Facebook data via Social Science One), the Italian MUR, the Gates Foundation, the Media Authority of North Rhine-Westphalia, and the European Commission (see the Competitive research projects table below). Within MINE, Giglietto co-developed CooRnet (with Nicola Righetti and Luca Rossi), the open-source R package that introduced the Coordinated Link Sharing Behavior (CLSB) detection method, applied internationally by researchers, journalists and fact-checkers. CooRnet is now discontinued at the operational level following the shutdown of Meta's CrowdTangle on 14 August 2024; the CLSB methodology it introduced lives on in the downstream CooRTweet R package (Righetti & Balluff, 2023–), independently maintained.
On the European front, he served as WP4 Leader of the Horizon Europe project vera.ai (concluded October 2025), which developed AI-based tools for countering disinformation, and as Partner on PROMPT (European Commission, DG CNECT; concluded February 2026), dedicated to monitoring disinformation narratives in Europe. All externally funded MINE sub-projects have now concluded; the MINE programme itself remains active as the institutional umbrella for his ongoing research line, with no active external grant at present.
He is a member of the International Communication Association (ICA), the Association of Internet Researchers (AoIR) and the Italian Association for Political Communication. He has participated in the board of Research Committee 51 on Sociocybernetics of the International Sociological Association. He is a founding partner (socio fondatore) of Digit Srl (https://digit.srl/), a benefit-corporation spin-off of the University of Urbino Carlo Bo that develops digital platforms for sustainability, civic participation, social innovation and scientific dissemination.
Recent Publications
Measuring partisan community dynamics: a longitudinal analysis of affective engagement in pro-Bolsonaro Facebook networks
Marino, G., Paroni, B., & Giglietto, F. (2026). Measuring partisan community dynamics: a longitudinal analysis of affective engagement in pro-Bolsonaro Facebook networks. Information, Communication & Society. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2026.2696929
VERA-AI Alert: Self-updating detection of coordinated sharing behaviour on Facebook
Giglietto, F. (2026). VERA-AI Alert: Self-updating detection of coordinated sharing behaviour on Facebook. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21234935
Navigating Coordination and Inauthentic Behaviour
Giglietto, F., Graham, T., & Righetti, N. (2026). Navigating Coordination and Inauthentic Behaviour. The Routledge Companion to Social Media and Politics. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003359524-24
Beyond the share button: How partisan alignment, journalistic quality, and algorithmic governance shape what millions see on Facebook
Giglietto, F., & Marino, G. (2026). Beyond the share button: How partisan alignment, journalistic quality, and algorithmic governance shape what millions see on Facebook. Platforms & Society. https://doi.org/10.1177/29768624261452529
From the Wild West to the Walled Garden
Giglietto, F., & Puschmann, C. (2026). From the Wild West to the Walled Garden. M/C Journal. https://doi.org/10.5204/mcj.3257
Research Projects
MINE — Mapping Italian News Research Program
Research programme active at the University of Urbino since 2017, investigating Italian media coverage and the impact of social media on electoral processes, public opinion and health information. MINE has hosted a succession of externally funded sub-projects (listed separately below). All sub-grants are now concluded; the programme remains active as the institutional and intellectual umbrella for the PI's ongoing research line, with no active external grant at present.
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PROMPT — Predictive Research On Misinformation and Narratives Propagation Trajectories
European Commission project (DG CNECT) dedicated to monitoring disinformation narratives in 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. MINE sub-project.
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vera.ai — VERification Assisted by Artificial Intelligence
Horizon Europe project developing AI-based tools to assist journalists and fact-checkers in verifying multimedia content and countering disinformation. As WP4 Leader, Fabio Giglietto led the work package focused on detection of coordinated behaviour and inauthentic networks spreading misleading content. MINE sub-project.
Learn moreNews & Updates
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July 27, 2026
The societal impact of generative artificial intelligence and deepfakes is the focus of several newly highlighted studies. Key publications investigate audience perceptions of task-specific AI disclosures, how deepfake interpretations shape political discourse in countries like Kenya, and the broader risks of generative propaganda under digital authoritarian regimes.
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July 24, 2026
Recent literature explores the multifaceted drivers of political and affective polarization. Highlighted papers examine globally equitable frameworks for polarization research, how different measurement methodologies can alter findings on media partisanship, and the role media narratives play in magnifying the perceived impact of digital election interference.
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July 22, 2026
New co-authored research published in Information, Communication & Society examines partisan community dynamics online. The longitudinal study analyzes affective engagement within pro-Bolsonaro Facebook networks, tracing patterns of political mobilization and digital interaction over time.
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Recent Web and News Mentions
How Facebook's Algorithmic Tweaks Affected Engagement with News URLs over Time
SMSociety 2026 Conference Programme
Indagine urbinate: "Così l’algoritmo influenza il voto" - Il Resto del Carlino
Algoritmi e democrazia, il caso Meta secondo lo studio di UniUrb
Facebook, troppa visibilità a estremisti e complottisti: ecco come impatta Meta sulle elezioni
While they're pretty smart, they might occasionally hallucinate a publication or get creative with facts. Take it with a grain of digital salt! 🧂