Disinformation and Democracy: disrupting disinformation ecologies

The ever-increasing flow and ever-shifting nature of disinformation -- online and offline, human-made or AI generated -- is among one of the most recognised challenges to liberal democracies in the 21st century. The spread of false or distorted information, whether it is done deliberately with a strategic purpose by ‘bad actors’ or unintentionally by individuals who fall prey to these false narratives, undermines basic democratic principles of rational, evidence-based public deliberation. This weakens democratic decision-making processes and, related to that, contributes to growing societal susceptibilities to illiberal, authoritarian or other anti-democratic narratives, increasing the appeal of extremist movements and even the risks of political threats, intimidation and violence. Australia, like many democracies, is recording increasing instances of public violence fuelled by disinformation and skewed public debates. Extremist groups have always used ideologically aligned misinformation, typically embedded in conspiratorial anti-establishment narratives to draw people into their sphere of influence. Not only have such misinformation campaigns fallen on increasingly fertile ground amidst high levels of mistrust in institutions; they have also further aggravated this trust deficit and radicalised people into ‘anti-publics’, which positioned themselves in hostile opposition to established democratic norms, processes and institutions. The results are increasing polarisation, further decline in institutional and cross-community trust and a diminishing capacity or willingness to engage in open democratic deliberation. Notwithstanding its links between extremism, disinformation is anything but a fringe issue. It affects everyone, directly or indirectly, as it weakens and questions the very foundation on which democracies stand. It creates uncertainty and vulnerabilities across society as “the truth” is at risk of becoming negotiable, a matter of opinion and ultimately irrelevant. This can be a gateway for anti-democratic, extremist movements, and a deliberate tool by illiberal or even totalitarian regimes. This paper publishes the findings of a year long international, collaborative project ‘Disrupting Disinformation Ecologies’ funded by the Australian Department of Home Affairs. A multi-country team of academics and expert practitioners examined the experience of disinformation across nations with the focus on the city or local level to advance our understanding of how to practically and effectively tackle disinformation ecologies that drive violence and extremism and, more broadly, undermine liberal democratic processes and principles. The paper incudes data from a global survey and findings from two Expert Convenings, one in Florence Italy and one in Melbourne Australia. The paper identifies policy and practice implications identifying key challenges such as the safety and security of practitioners, and the sustainability of effective responses, and effective practices including alternative narratives, storytelling and strategic communications interventions. The paper also draws out broader issues and questions for theory and practice. These include how we might need to reconceptualise disinformation as a structural disruption to governance embracing political participation, institutional design, and policy making; how we understand the impact of disinformation ecologies on civil society and practices of social solidarity, and how we refine the role of collaboration from the local to the global in an environment of increased geopolitical uncertainty.