TELLING LIES THE NEW COOL – WELCOME TO THE MISINFORMATION ERA

Not entirely new, the misinformation and disinformation phenomenon continues to grow out of proportion. It threatens the global health sector, as was witnessed during the COVID pandemic, and undermines democracy. This is exemplified by the rise in popularity of more far right-wing parties within Europe undermining the electoral process. Amidst the threats and fears, who or what is to blame? Can they be curbed, or is it too late?

Ahead of the pivotal conference hosted by The Knowledge Centre Global Health (KCGH), titled ‘Navigating Truths: Demystifying Mis- and Disinformation in Global Health,’ conference chair Prof. Dr Bruce Mutsvairo—professor in the Department of Media and Culture Studies at Utrecht University—discusses the challenges posed by mis- and disinformation on a global scale. He emphasises that although this issue may seem grey, solutions exist.

Growing up, Prof. Dr Mutsvairo, a KCGH board member, believed the health sector was immune to falsehoods—until the world had to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. Then, the realities of the dangers of misinformation and disinformation hit hard. ‘Disinformation is a significant issue and a major concern in our society. Regardless of where you live, as long as you are online, you have to deal with misinformation and ‘fake news’ almost daily. You can talk of any sector, even within global health, there is a lot of research that has been done and continues to be done showing dis- and misinformation are major issues,’ he says.

He elaborates, ‘This is precisely why we are organising this conference—to create a platform for people worldwide to share insights on how they are tackling this, particularly in the global health sector. Growing up, I never imagined this would be one of the sectors affected. It always seemed solid, but as we now see, that is not the case.’

Role of Social Media

According to Prof. Dr Mutsvairo, more people are getting deceived online by disinformation campaigns. This has become a trend involving more actors. ‘The global disinformation campaign has evolved far beyond individual exchanges; it draws in nations, states, and influencers of all ages—people who leverage their popularity to spread falsehoods and disinformation without hesitation, driven by a desire for fame. In this climate, pursuing popularity often overshadows the commitment to truth.

‘In as much as social media and digital platforms help people access the information they want; they are also a big problem. People only see the good things; they see social media as enabling them to communicate with friends and gain access to information easily without contemplating the dangers,’ he states.

Prof. Dr Mutsvairo observes that the open nature of social media—accessible to anyone with internet access to create and share their own news—complicates efforts to tackle the ‘fake news’ problem. While many issues can be resolved relatively easily, finding effective solutions to misinformation is no easy task.

‘We can host conference after conference, but we cannot solve the problems caused by social media with a quick fix. To begin considering solutions, we must first recognise and understand the vast scale and complexity of this problem in our society. There are a lot of falsehoods everywhere online set off by different actors who try or use social media or digital platforms to disinform or lie to protect their interests.’

While misinformation and disinformation are not a new phenomenon, the media and journalism scholar believes the advent of social media has worsened the problem. ‘Historically, nations have tried to use propaganda to lie and deceive. In that sense, disinformation has existed for as long as humans have been alive. The deliberate dissemination of false or misleading news or information has always been there, even at the village level in Africa,’ he explains.

‘Even when there was no technology, people could deceive and try to lie; it is human nature. The difference today is, of course, the advent of digital technology has made it easier to transmit and transport those lies and to make them look professional and realistic.’ However, according to Professor Dr Mutsvairo, as much as misinformation is a global problem, there is a need to understand the contexts and history within the different countries.

‘The impact disinformation has in Uganda will not be the same as in Tanzania even though these countries are neighbours. There are things you are likely to see everywhere, for example, the accusation that Russia is interfering with the elections in the West. Every Western power today is concerned that Russia could try to have a say in its elections because it has shown that it can. Over the last three years, I have been working in Mali and Ethiopia, trying to investigate the influence of misinformation in conflict countries. The trends are completely different from those of a country without conflict.’

Often used interchangeably, misinformation and disinformation have distinct definitions and implications. The former refers to the accidental spread of inaccurate information, while the latter involves deliberately disseminating false material with the intent to deceive, often resulting in significant harm. Both forms pose grave threats to democracy. ‘Of course, there is no question that they threaten democracy. For democracy as a system to work, you need to have accurate and truthful information to make informed decisions. This is increasingly difficult—not only in Africa or non-Western societies but globally,’ he says.

Democracy in Peril

‘We saw how Trump tried to convince people that he had won the elections, and there are those who believed him. This represents a significant danger, as it opens the door for individuals like him to gain power in democratic countries. If someone like Trump can be elected based on a platform of lies, it raises the question of how we can expect African leaders to act differently. People somehow prefer lies to truth; they vote for disinformation. It is considered cool to lie because lies make people popular these days.’

But as the world contemplates the threat of mis- and disinformation to democracy, it goes without saying that the threats to global health go beyond instilling fear and gaining control of the people. The COVID-19 pandemic proved how misinformation in the sector can bring about the public’s mistrust in government and health authorities, posing challenges to control disease and outbreaks.

‘It is important to address misinformation within the global health sector. You can have lies everywhere, but you do not want to have a fake doctor. You do not want somebody to lie about your health. If you go to a doctor, you want accurate information because your health is your well-being; it is your future,’ Mutsvairo says.

But where does this leave the media, both traditional and conventional? Are they doing enough to debunk misinformation and disinformation? ‘The way the media in the Netherlands is trying to protect or ensure that the content they disseminate is truthful is different from the media sector in Indonesia, Malawi or Mexico. It comes down to having access to resources.’

He, however, adds that it is important to think about the role of media from a contextual point of view, especially as complex narratives are dominant today because people set their own agendas. ‘Many journalists have the sense of doing the right thing because they believe it is their role to fight against falsehoods. However, the rise of citizen journalists and influencers who do not need professional training has good and bad sides. Some are being used by different actors to gather and disseminate false narratives,’ he says.

‘At the end of the day, media is people-owned and a business. People want to make money, but not everybody has the ethical mindset to do the right thing. And what is right to one could be viewed as wrong by another.’ Unfortunately, in today’s world, the more complex the narrative, the easier it is to gain attention. According to Mutsvairo, today it is all about attention.

‘People often make controversial statements to attract attention and gain millions of views on their videos, to become famous. Critical reflection is lacking. It is too difficult to be critical, so people choose the easier option—liking or sharing a post. They do not care about the potential damage that could bring.’

He further elaborates, ‘People trying to tell the truth are unpopular. It is easy for a voter to accept that ‘immigrants are a threat to your lives, or they want to take your wife, your job.’ You could use the same internet to find out if that is true. However, it costs time, so people are not interested. That is why misinformation is more popular.’

And it is not only the low-income or lowly educated people that are susceptible.

Educated but Vulnerable

‘Research indicates that educated individuals—or who are considered well-educated—are also increasingly supporting right-wing ideologies. It is a misconception that only the lowly educated people are the ones who could easily be victims,’ he asserts.

‘However, research has also demonstrated that individuals who have long been exposed to disinformation—often due to being raised in environments where their parents accepted it—are more likely to believe and identify with it. This familiarity can create a strong inclination toward disinformation. Nevertheless, this does not negate the reality that even highly educated individuals are vulnerable to believing false information.’

While the problem may be at its highest, Prof. Dr Mutsvairo is confident solutions exist. However, it starts with people’s acknowledgement of the problem. ‘We should enhance literacy rates regarding misinformation, as people must recognise its existence and impact. It is crucial to teach individuals to identify misinformation from a young age rather than waiting until high school or university, as this issue will persist for decades—possibly indefinitely. Misinformation is a current reality, but it can be tackled by providing accurate information. Additionally, fact-checking has emerged as a widely recognised solution to combat misinformation,’ he says.

According to Mutsvairo, while fact-checking has been hailed as a movement that could help defeat disinformation, it raises the question, ‘Who will check the fact checker?’ And while the media is part of the problem, Mutsvairo is confident media and journalists can play a significant role and be part of the solution as fact-checkers.

‘Having a media aware of the state of affairs in this era is crucial. It is also important to have professionally trained journalists who detect and see the importance of fighting for the truth. Journalists have a big role to play. We need honest journalists globally who cannot be bought and desire to tell the truth. Thankfully, they exist because otherwise, it would be a disaster,’ he says.

To ensure that the complexities and nuisances remain in focus, Mutsvairo emphasises the need for more research funding. This will ensure that research advances at the same level as technologies to enable a better understanding of the trends of misinformation. ‘In this era, academics are the least trusted people because those that promote misinformation see higher education and knowledge providers as a big threat to them,’ he adds.

While researchers, together with professional and honest journalism could be one part of the solution, Mutsvairo emphasises the significance of having responsible citizens. ‘We need to instil a sense of responsibility in individuals, helping them understand that before relying on a fact-checker to verify information, they should refrain from sharing anything on the internet they are unsure about. While these principles may seem simple, they are challenging to enforce effectively.’

He concludes by underlining the need for regulations and laws to tackle the problem. ‘As a journalist, I am somewhat sceptical about regulations since they can potentially restrict freedom of speech. However, I believe we are at a point where regulations are necessary because certain individuals need to be held accountable for their actions.’

He continues, ‘We need laws that can effectively address this problem. These laws should not infringe on freedom of expression, as that is a separate issue. In non-democratic settings, we often see this happening, where regulation is used to silence those who speak out against the government. While this is a significant concern, I still believe some regulation is necessary.’

Mutsvairo believes it is the responsibility of everyone to ensure that whatever they are saying or sharing is not a danger or is not putting the lives of others in danger. And maybe then we may start seeing less danger caused by mis- and disinformation.

Edited by Pius Okore.