You don't need bad actors for a disinfo campaign. There's a certain type of person in a natural disaster that just loses their head and starts making shit up on social media, and they're fairly common. I've seen it a few times now and it's crazy. They'll make things up that could jepordize people's lives for the likes, I guess.

Also, having seen FEMA at work first hand, they are approximately useless. I could see a lot of anger happening organically.

> certain type of person in a natural disaster that just loses their head and starts making shit up on social media

They're the "everything happens for a reason" types. Their belief system doesn't properly integrate chance events, so when confronted with one, they create a bogeyman. Because somebody being in control, even a bad somebody, is more comprehensible than nobody being at the wheel.

Sometimes, but not always. There are PLENTY of "highly" rational people who do similarly as they utilize reasoning at the "close enough" level as is the cultural (and culturally enforced) norm in their country/era. And if you protest based on a more strict approach, expect to be dismissed ("debunked") via culturally ingrained, rhetorically persuasive memes.

Avoiding all errors in cognition is often extremely difficult, ain't nobody got time for that sort of "pedantry".

There are also just those who actually always had kooky beliefs, but normally they weren't relevant so even their acquaintances didn't know, but after a disaster they feel they're obligated to help, which manifests in them espousing their kooky beliefs on social media.

You don't need bad actors, but there are certainly types who will deliberately and consciously take advantage of a situation when it arises.

The crazies and loons simply make the job of that first type much easier.