#EcuadorBajoAtaque: Information Disorder and the Spread of Negative Emotions on X During the 2024 Security Crisis

Since 2019, Ecuador has faced a significant rise in homicides and the growth of narcotics gangs, culminating in the 2024 security crisis marked by attacks on TC Television and violence in several provinces across the country. This study aims to examine the phenomenon of information disorder (ID) on the digital platform X during this crisis by analyzing the spread of ID through hashtags and posts (a dataset of 13,603 tweets) shared by citizens, media outlets, and legislators between January 9 and January 17. A quantitative methodology was applied, combining natural language processing (NLP) techniques with content analysis. The findings reveal the presence of ID throughout the crisis. Tweets containing ID predominantly displayed negative emotional content, whereas tweets without ID tended to reflect more neutral emotions. This study underscores how security crises can fuel the creation and spread of ID, highlighting the need for automated models that enable real-time identification of such content.