Every day, millions of messages arrive on our phones with a familiar introduction: “Forwarded as received.” Most are shared without a second thought. But what happens when these casual forwards begin to shape public opinion, fuel distrust, and even trigger real-world violence?
In Forwarded As Received: How Misinformation Turns Viral, Violent and True, public policy expert and journalist Saadia Azim explores one of the defining challenges of the digital age—the rapid spread of misinformation and its profound consequences for society.
Blending rigorous research with real-world examples, Azim examines how false or misleading information gains credibility through repetition, gradually becoming accepted as truth. The book reveals how digital platforms, algorithms, and everyday online behaviour combine to create an information ecosystem where rumours, manipulated narratives, and half-truths spread faster than facts.
What makes the book particularly distinctive is its focus on the Global South, where misinformation intersects with governance, social inequality, public trust, and democratic institutions in unique and often overlooked ways. Rather than treating misinformation as merely a technological problem, Azim shows how it reshapes communities, influences decision-making, and deepens existing social divides.
Drawing on more than two decades of experience in journalism, governance, and public policy, Azim brings both analytical depth and practical insight to a subject that affects anyone with a smartphone. As Chief Operating Officer of the Government of West Bengal’s flagship digital public service delivery programme, she offers a rare field-level perspective on how information travels through everyday networks and how easily it can mislead.
Thought-provoking, accessible, and deeply relevant, Forwarded As Received is an essential read for anyone seeking to understand why misinformation spreads so effectively, why it is so difficult to correct, and why every click, share, and forward carries greater consequences than we often realise.
