Disinformation is one of the biggest threats to humanity
Lawandowsky et al. 24, [Lawandowsky is a professor of cognitive science with specialized focus on disinformation and people’s attitudes toward science, Linden is a professor of psychology, and Norman is the executive director of the Cognitive Immunology Research Collaborative; 1/30/24; Scientific American; “Disinformation is the Real Threat to Democracy and Public Health”; https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/disinformation-is-the-real-threat-to-democracy-and-public-health/]
Disinformation is the coin of the modern realm. Vaccine denial, climate denial, election denial and war-crime denial have joined the grotesque denial of the Holocaust in the ranks of dishonesties now regularly foisted on the public. We can, however, do something about this crisis of the information age.
In January the World Economic Forum (WEF) ranked the spread of misinformation among the greatest threats to humanity in its Global Risks Report. With more than four billion people voting in the upcoming 2024 elections (roughly half the world’s population), the report makes clear that now is the time to prepare the world against disinformation and those who peddle it.
Some commentators have dismissed the report’s conclusions as another attempt to censor free speech. But this is disingenuous; the people who oppose misinformation research, whether pundits, politicians or crackpots, are not fighting for freedom but against a discerning and well-informed citizenry.