‘Disinformation campaigns are often designed to create polarisation’

What is disinformation?

– Disinformation is misleading or incorrect information spread to deceive the public. Its aim of misleading differentiates disinformation from rumours or misinformation, which is spread without any ulterior intention. Disinformation campaigns are often designed to promote a political ideology, create polarisation or undermine trust in democratic institutions. Actors visible in the public debate, such as politicians and journalists, are often targeted.

A disinformation narrative which spread during the pandemic to undermine democratic institutions was that the virus does not exist. It was claimed that the pandemic was engineered by political actors to control the population through, for example, vaccination.

Why do people spread disinformation in times of crises?

– As people, we want to understand the world around us, especially in times of social crises because they add to the feeling of insecurity and lack of control. At the same time, crises often create an information vacuum because it is difficult to know how the situation will develop, allowing room for alternative sources to spread information about the event. Together these factors create a fertile environment for spreading disinformation.

How do we protect ourselves from disinformation?

– Individually, we can best protect ourselves from disinformation by being vigilant of its characteristics. Disinformation often has a clear political orientation and contains a more emotional language and anonymous sources. The European Parliament has a list for spotting fake news.

As an organisation, you can best protect yourself from disinformation by increasing trust in the organisation, especially among those with low levels of trust, who are especially vulnerable to misleading information. It is important to bear in mind that activities to combat disinformation should be designed to primarily protect democratic principles and, secondarily, the organisation’s reputation.

Sofia Johansson was interviewed by Magnus Johansson Hessling, Senior Consultant at New Republic. ‘Three Quick Questions…’ is a series of interviews conducted by New Republic.