University of Urbino
Department of Communication Sciences, Humanities and International Studies
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 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.
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
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
Giglietto, F. (2025). Manipolazione dei media ed influenza digitale. Sfide, tecnologie e risposte. .
Giglietto, F. (2025). Viralità. .
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
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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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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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 moreRecent studies highlight the multifaceted challenges of online misinformation. One paper examines how disinformation functions as a cross-platform cultural narrative that affirms identities and provides catharsis. Another investigates the impact of recommender systems on platform X, suggesting they inadvertently profile users' ideological positions. Additionally, research assesses the quality of online platform data in light of the Digital Services Act, emphasizing its relevance despite moderate attention.
Read moreSeveral new publications address critical issues surrounding online platforms and digital behavior. One study explores how jihadist supporters leverage TikTok's algorithmic recommendations and content moderation loopholes. Another examines the partisan effects of social media bans. Furthermore, research analyzes affective-discursive ecologies of the far right on Instagram, focusing on multimodal softening, mobilization, and algorithmic proximity.
Read moreEmerging research emphasizes the role of AI in various domains. Studies examine the 'AI hype' within journalism, analyzing visibility, power dynamics, and the politics of media narratives. Additionally, findings suggest that Large Language Models (LLMs) can infer political alignment from online conversations, raising concerns about potential biases and applications.
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