Western Morning News (Saturday)
On Saturday Leaders must address online disinformation
IWAS born long before the advent of social media but in enough time for it to have an irritating influence on much of my adult life.
I often wish I was one of those people of my age who have, and continue, to shun all networking sites. They glean most of their news from the television, some of them even continue to read newspapers!
But my job as a journalist for a digital company, a hefty dose of peer pressure and the incessant drive towards an online world has forced me to use sites including Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
To say I have embraced them is a stretch. I rarely Tweet and my Facebook and Instagram posts are generally limited to pictures of dogs. As a traditional print journalist I am spared the pressure of holding an online presence and being insulted by trolls. Of course I’ve heard of bloggers and influencers and how much they can earn, but I don’t really get how, nor want to.
While I love Facebook’s ability for me to reunite with old friends and keep in contact with family members across the world, I hate the way it has become a sounding board for all kind of political, racist and crackpot theories, particularly during the pandemic. I will quietly unfollow those whose posts I find offensive, particularly if they have simply cut and pasted a viral post without checking the legitimacy of the source.
One thing to have come from the horror of war in Ukraine is that it seems to have curbed the usual deluge of invective posts prompted by the Covid-19 pandemic and vaccination drive.
Covid misinformation, which has often trended on social media over the past two years, seems to be taking a nosedive. Cryptic images celebrating the Canadian trucker convoy and calls to put Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau on trial for treason have all but disappeared.
Social media has also proved a powerful weapon for Ukraine with young people across the globe sharing anti-Russian cartoons and memes celebrating Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s now immortal “I need ammunition not a ride” plea.
As in any war, people want to hear the glimmers of hope and humour coming from the conflict. So social media has been awash with images of Zelensky striding through Kyiv and tractors pulling abandoned Russian tanks.
In just over a week of conflict social media has succeeded in doing something that has never previously been possible in European conflicts – it has garnered the solidarity of normal people across the world for those under siege in Ukraine.
In Russia, however, it is a quite different story as Putin takes steps scarily similar to George Orwell’s Thought Police. Russia has limited access to social media while constantly spreading its own propaganda, including banning the use of the word ‘war’.
But while we seem to have a temporary respite from vaccine theorists and social media is awash with love for Ukraine, things could easily take a far more sinister twist.
It’s suspected the Russians have a much greater ability to spread disinformation about Ukraine than some of us in the West naively give them credit for. The Ukraine security service believes a Russian bot farm has reportedly produced 7,000 accounts to post fake information about Ukraine on social media, including Telegram, WhatsApp and
Viber. And, sadly those who previously demonstrated against vaccines are already turning their support to Russia.
The problem with social media, particularly during a time of crisis, is the speed with which it moves. Public opinion can be swayed in a moment if challenged by those who hold the most influence on the networks. So while it seems unthinkable that our current support and sympathy for Ukraine could be swayed, there will be no respite from the conspiracy theories and disinformation campaigns, particularly if they cleverly utilise terms which sound good and are likely to trend.
And it doesn’t take very long for views popular in one country to spread to another.
So while there is much else to concern us, perhaps we should not be underestimating the powerful weapon that is social media. At a time when sanctions aren’t working, could this be the time for world leaders to form a global agreement that actually addresses the problem of disinformation, while also really trying to educate people on what sources to trust.
In any conflict there is fighting on several fronts – and one of the key weapons is always propaganda. Now, more than ever, it’s one which we have to tackle.
One of the key weapons is always propaganda. Now, more than ever, it’s one which we have to tackle