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. Professor Giglietto currently teaches courses such as Generative AI and Media, and Digital Social Network Analysis.
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. This includes investigations into coordinated link sharing behavior and its impact on the spread of problematic information. 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.
Professor Giglietto has published extensively 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.
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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April 15, 2026
Recent publications offer insights into various aspects of online information and behavior. These include analyses of depolarization recommendations, deceptive networks during the 2020 US elections, YouTube's influence on conspiracy beliefs, and the quality of online platform data under the Digital Services Act.
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April 01, 2026
Several studies focusing on online disinformation have recently been highlighted. These include investigations into disinformation as cultural narrative, measurements of misinformation on major European platforms, and the dynamics of jihadist content on TikTok.
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March 27, 2026
Emerging research explores platform-specific dynamics and their impact on users. Investigations include the effects of social media bans, the role of platform actors in online science communication, the impact of 'dark patterns' under the EU Digital Services Act, and the ideological profiling by recommender systems on X (formerly Twitter).
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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
Secondo uno studio dell'università di Urbino l'algoritmo di Facebook ora punisce la politica ufficiale e premia gli estremisti antieuropei. Pd e FdI verso una legge bipartisan sulle piattaforme - Open
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! 🧂