According to an annual assessment, the World Economic Forum (WEF) identifies “misinformation” as one of the most serious challenges that the world will face in 2023.
According to the findings of the 2023 World Economic Forum Global Risks Report, which presents the findings of a survey that included over 1,200 experts, “misinformation” is ranked 16th on a roster of the 32 risks.
This is on a roster of risks that has the most influence over a period of two years and is considered to be moderately severe.
World Economic Forum declares "misinformation" a top "global risk"https://t.co/svrf2rPUKU
— Reclaim The Net (@ReclaimTheNetHQ) January 16, 2023
Breakdown in Society
The rating is consistent with increased efforts that the WEF has been making in recent years to combat “misinformation” that is spreading online, which is thought to be harmful to the health of society.
According to the report’s findings, both false and misleading information contribute to the breakdown of social cohesion. Furthermore, these factors can exacerbate the growing polarization and sense of disunity that exists between different societies.
According to the findings of the analysis, political polarization, which is made worse by the availability of information online, has become the defining characteristic of elections and can lead to the decline of democracy in a nation.
According to the report, misinformation and disinformation are now predominant tools for geopolitical actors to use in the propagation of extremist beliefs and in swaying elections through social media groupthink by sowing seeds of doubt about election systems.
These goals can be accomplished by spreading false information. Destabilizing confidence in information is another effect that falsehoods and misleading content may have on the internet.
According to the research, the election of less centrist governments and the implementation of more ‘radical’ policies by economic heavyweights might splinter alliances, hinder global collaboration, and create a more dangerous environment.
Misinformation and disinformation were considered more serious than unemployment problems, contagious illnesses, and the deployment of mass destruction weapons.
Potential Harm
During the COVID-19 epidemic, when claimed conspiracy theories promoted by people who challenged the official doctrine on the virus and its treatments burst online, the WEF increased its efforts to counteract so-called disinformation.
During U.S. election years, complaints about pervasive misinformation appeared, despite the fact subsequent research indicates that certain internet disinformation efforts may have had negligible impacts on public opinion.
WHO is number 1 in misinformation, then WEF, then UN, then any Main Stream Media outlet, Big Pharma etc https://t.co/m40mDtJlE5
— Administrator (@i_frikkie) January 12, 2023
Other strategies proposed by the WEF for combating alleged internet misinformation include AI technology that can identify, flag, or prohibit content judged harmful by professional trainers.
Respondents to the poll ranked “deterioration of social cohesiveness and societal division” as the fifth greatest short-term danger, ranking above extended economic recessions and large-scale natural catastrophes.
In the near term, the cost of living problem scored first, while in the long run, over a period of 10 years, global warming topped the list.
Respondents identified the energy supply problem, the cost of living issue, increasing inflation, the food supply issue, and cyberattacks on important infrastructure as the top five urgent hazards affecting short-term and long-term threats.
This article appeared in The Political Globe and has been published here with permission.
