Digital Drivers of Autocratisation: The Role of Information Pollution in Polarisation and Democratic Backsliding in Mexico

The article explores how information pollution in Mexico, driven by populist rhetoric and weak institutional transparency, has contributed to polarization and democratic backsliding. The study, focusing on the presidency of Andrés Manuel López Obrador (2018-2024), reveals that structural socio-economic inequalities and media concentration indirectly enabled this pollution, while divisive political rhetoric directly fueled it. The findings emphasize the erosion of trust in democratic institutions and press freedom. The report concludes that combating information pollution requires legal reforms, media literacy initiatives, and increased transparency to safeguard democracy.