Fake news can have real effects

Changes to communication technology have helped broaden the distribution of these types of messages. The invention of the printing press spread falsehoods worldwide (like the discovery of bat creatures on the moon in 1835). In recent times time, the internet has delivered claims of Weapons of Mass Destruction, stolen US elections, Holocaust denial and weaponised pandemics into homes around the world.

While the idea that 5G technology spreads Covid makes us roll our eyes, the harms caused by mis and disinformation are a cause for concern at the highest levels of government.  We are living through an information age where many millions of us are not sure if we can trust the information we consume. Trust that may be further eroded as new technologies like artificial intelligence continue to develop; videos such as Lies Wide Shut show how convincing these deepfakes can get.

What is Misinformation, Disinformation and Malinformation?

Misinformation simply means false information we think is true or probably true.  Most of us share whatwe believe to be true, without intending to deceive others.  Disinformation is intentionally creating falsehoods. There might be various motivations for spreading disinformation, such as diminishing rivals or advancing a point of view or interest group. Everything from April’s Fool's Day hoaxes to deepfake videos or images falls into this category.

A third type, Malinformation, is the most damaging; this is deliberately false information designed to do harm.  It could mean scams, doxing, radicalisation, cyberattacks, political interference, and even incitement to violence. Research has shown that misinformation, disinformation, and fake news have become much more prevalent during the last decade.

For clarity, let’s use false information to cover all three categories for the rest of the blog.

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Big lies, small truths

Fake News is a term that has been around since the 1890’s, but has been turbocharged by the same high-speed internet you’re using now. Over the years malicious actors have used false information to attack foes. Operation InfeKtion, for example, was a secret Soviet campaign to spread the idea AIDS was developed as a US military biological weapon. It worked, to the extent that the idea still holds sway with many people today. US rapper Kanye West in ‘Heard ‘em say' sings “And I know the government administer AIDS/ So I guess we just pray like the minister say.”

As The New York Times explains, there are said to be Seven Commandments of Fake News;

1. Look for cracks in society – any divisions that can help people lose trust in governments or industry.

2. Create a big bold lie – so outrageous no one thinks it’s made up.

3. Wrap that lie around a kernel of truth.

4. Conceal your hand – make it look like it came from somewhere else.

5. Find a useful idiot who will unwittingly take and spread that message.

6. Deny, deny, deny – pretend you know nothing about the deception.

7. Play the long game – apply lots of resources that won’t come to fruition for years.

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We can see how these steps play out in political crises globally. In the UK, repetition of the false claim ‘The UK sends 350 million pounds per week to the EU’ helped bring about Brexit, which has proved financially disastrous. In Australia, as bushfires raged out of control in early 2020, blame shifted from climate change to arsonists, Islamists,Chinese billionaires, eco-terrorists and ‘greenies’. The lies spread as fast as the fires themselves.

Each of these examples also has a tiny kernel of truth that can’t be denied; all members of the EU send monies to that organisation (but gain economic benefits from doing so); voters did use voting machines in 2020 (which have been proven - in court - to be uncorrupted); arson is a problem in Australia during hot weather (but its role in the 2020 fires was minimal).

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Is democracy threatened, or is that also false information?

In 2024, about half the world’s population have the opportunity to take part in democracy. With major elections still to come (including Australia in 2025), there are fears that the increase in toxic polarisation, populist leaders, deepfakes, distrust of governments and the rise of sovereign citizens produce a new set of social norms where claims no longer need evidence and voting itself is seen as either pointless or corrupted.

Disinformation has been ranked by the World Economic Forum as one of the greatest threats to humanity.  If people don’t believe in vaccines, we lose herd immunity.  If people don’t believe in democracy, we may elect an authoritarian leader openly joking about becoming a dictator the day after the election.

In the words of Hannah Arendt, “If everybody always lies to you, the consequence is not that you believe the lies, but rather that nobody believes anything any longer.”

From an interview with Roger Errera, 1974

While social media may have turbocharged the spread of misinformation, it’s also where we can challenge falsehoods and share evidence.  If we can’t escape the ocean of false information all around us, let’s hope we learn to see through it, or swim across it.

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