In polarised times, #elections can heighten societal tensions and affect out susceptibility to #misinformation and #disinformation (MDI).

But what exactly is MDI? Follow the 🧵👇 for 🔟 things to know about this #globalchallenge. https://bit.ly/2TzAnIJ 
1⃣ Let’s get definitions out of the way first.

❗️ #Misinformation is false and often harmful information, which is not shared with malicious intent.

‼️ #Disinformation is false and malicious information, which is shared deliberately to cause harm. https://bit.ly/2TzAnIJ 
2⃣ We're all potential spreaders of #misinformation or #disinformation. But most of us share without knowing. That tends to be done by states looking to influence external events, political actors chasing power, conspiracy theorists & extreme groups: https://bit.ly/2TzAnIJ 
3⃣ MDI is not exactly a new problem. But the reason it’s such a big challenge now is because of the pace at which #digital #information ecosystems have evolved and the way in which they are being manipulated. https://bit.ly/2TzAnIJ 
4⃣ This new pace means #misinfomation and #disinformation (MDI) are reaching more and more people at an increasingly faster rate. MDI takes advantage of #socialmedia platforms designed to promote popular content that provokes strong emotions. https://bit.ly/2TzAnIJ 
5⃣ #Disinformation can also be driven by political actors wanting to control/shape narratives+influence outcomes. Recently @AtlanticCouncil reported that a company tried to influence #elections in 🇹🇬&🇨🇮 and @Facebook removed 'inauthentic accounts' in 🇨🇩&🇧🇷 https://bit.ly/2TzAnIJ 
6⃣ The way #tech is designed also provides commercial incentives 💵 to spread MDI. #Digital #advertising models are built around clicks through ads. A recent @CCDHate reports estimates the anti-vaxxer movement alone is worth $1 bi. a year to #BigTech. https://bit.ly/2TzAnIJ 
7⃣ #Trust plays a critical role in #digital #information ecosystems and levels of it vary between different contexts. Understanding how individuals and institutions can gain or retain trust is critical to tackling the threat
posed by MDI. https://bit.ly/2TzAnIJ 
8⃣ MDI can cause real, offline harm. A recent study published in the @AJTMH estimated thousands of people were admitted to hospital around the world with hundreds dying as a *direct result* of false #information on #socialmedia. https://bit.ly/2TzAnIJ 
9⃣ Now to the big question: how do we tackle MDI? 🤔

It’s a complex problem to solve and will likely involve developing the right mix of interventions, including efforts to boost #digital #medialiteracy and new #policy frameworks. https://bit.ly/2TzAnIJ 
🔟 But we can all take responsibility to try to prevent the spread of MDI. The @UNESCO and @EU_Commission #ThinkBeforeSharing is just one recent example of campaigns we can all support. There are more examples of initiatives + orgs in our briefing note: https://bit.ly/2TzAnIJ 
You can follow @DigiSoc_ODI.
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