In 2024, nearly three billion people worldwide, including those in major economies like the United States, India, the United Kingdom, Mexico, and Indonesia, are set to participate in electoral processes.
However, the World Economic Forum’s 2024 Global Risk Report emphasises a critical concern – the rampant spread of misinformation and disinformation poses a severe threat to the legitimacy of newly elected governments, potentially leading to political unrest, violence, terrorism, and a gradual erosion of democratic processes.
The report states that India ranks first in facing the highest risk of misinformation and false narratives in the world.
Published on January 10, the report was prepared in cooperation with the Zurich Insurance Group and Marsh McLennan, which is a part of the World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Initiative.
Apart from India, other nations which are at threat of misinformation are Saudi Arabia, Ireland, Pakistan, Czechia, Romania, France, and the United States of America. Based on the discovery of the Global Risks Perception Survey, the report captures the insights of almost 1,500 global experts.
It defines misinformation and disinformation as relentless false information spread through media networks, significantly shifting public opinion towards distrust in facts and authority. However, not limited to false, manipulated, and fabricated content.
While emphasizing various short-term and long-term risks, the report explored that over the next two years the threat will likely cause societal rifts and polarization.
Some of the crucial short-term risks included economic uncertainty, societal polarization, and the refugee crisis. On the contrary, environmental crisis was seen as the most important long-term risk, suggesting that it might reach a point of no return.
Threat of misinformation for India
The report highlights that among 34 identified risks that are classified into economic, environmental, geopolitical, societal, and technological threats, the menace of misinformation and disinformation ranks at the top for India.
In contrast, the United States sees it as the 6th most prominent risk. Mexico, the UK, and Indonesia also face this challenge, making them 11th, 11th, and 18th most vulnerable countries, respectively.
| Country | Rank of ‘misinformation and disinformation’ among 34 risks |
| India | 1 |
| United States | 6 |
| United Kingdom | 11 |
| Mexico | 11 |
| Indonesia | 18 |
Elections as catalyst
Speculations suggest that elections will act as the catalyst for the rise of false information. Over the next two years, close to three billion people are heading into the electoral polls in major countries like India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Mexico, Bangladesh, the UK and the USA.
The report highlights that the “widespread use of misinformation and disinformation, and tools to disseminate it, may undermine the legitimacy of newly elected governments. Resulting unrest could range from violent protests and hate crimes to civil confrontation and terrorism.”
Furthermore, while outlining the severity of the situation, the report claimed that misinformation might not only affect the political affiliations of people but also contaminate their understanding of reality, which can adversely impact social cohesion and mental health.
The report also claimed that the truth will become disputable and some leaders, groups, and political parties might indoctrinate peoples minds with false narratives by converting them into authentic ones.
Social media as back up
Last year, the BBC released a documentary related to the Gujrat Riots 2002 which was later banned. The report highlighted how YouTube and Twitter (now X) both agreed to remove the documentaries links due to the severe political pressure from the ruling-Bhartiya Janata party (BJP). It underscored how social media sites get involved in the political agenda of spreading a false narrative.
Moreover, the report also evaluated the possible role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in generating and spreading false information through deepfake or stock market manupulation.
The report also explored a possible connection between the rise of misinformation and the degrading Press Freedom Index (PFI) of countries. Appallingly, India ranked 161 out of 180 countries in Press Freedom Index last year.
What is disinformation, misinformation?
Disinformation involves intentional efforts to mislead, while misinformation refers to spreading false information out of genuine belief.
As per the report, both disinformation and misinformation widely spread through media networks, shifting public opinion in a significant way towards distrust in facts and authority.
(With inputs from Sameer Khan)
