The Real-World Danger of Online Myths | Vidhya Ramalingam | TED

Summary

This powerful talk explores the rise of disinformation and its dangerous impact on climate scientists and global society. The speaker, a counterterrorism expert, highlights how misinformation is manipulated to incite violence, especially in the context of climate change denial. The talk emphasizes the importance of 'prebunking,' a strategy that empowers individuals to spot and resist manipulative messaging. Through case studies and global efforts, the speaker shows how proactive, localized communication can combat disinformation and build societal resilience, urging us to protect our communities and climate scientists from harm.

Takeaways

• 😀 Climate scientists are facing severe online abuse, including threats of physical violence, highlighting the dangers of climate change denial.
• 😀 39% of climate scientists report experiencing online abuse, with 18% encountering threats of violence.
• 😀 Disinformation, particularly related to climate change, is often weaponized to justify violence, exemplified by ecofascist ideologies.
• 😀 Misinformation refers to false information, while disinformation is deliberately spread to cause harm.
• 😀 Fearmongering and decontextualization are two powerful disinformation tactics that distort public understanding of important issues.
• 😀 An example of disinformation included fake images during the European protests and misleading visuals about the Hawaii wildfires, tied to foreign disinformation networks.
• 😀 Prebunking is an effective technique where people are warned and taught to spot manipulative messaging before they are targeted.
• 😀 Prebunking messages include three components: an emotional warning, stimulus (examples of manipulation), and refutation (tools to reject misinformation).
• 😀 Disinformation spreads faster than true information, with a MIT study showing false stories traveling six times faster than the truth.
• 😀 The Moonshot initiative, in collaboration with Google, helped people recognize manipulation tactics and resist them through targeted prebunking campaigns worldwide.
• 😀 The use of generative AI tools makes it easier for anyone, not just powerful entities, to create high-quality disinformation, posing new challenges to fighting online manipulation.

Q & A

What are some of the threats faced by climate scientists, according to the script?

Climate scientists face a variety of threats, including online abuse, threats of physical violence, and messages calling for harm, such as ‘I hope someone puts a bullet between your eyes.’ A recent survey showed that 39% of climate scientists have experienced online abuse, with 18% receiving threats of physical violence.

Why does the speaker care about climate change denial, despite not being a climate scientist or activist?

The speaker cares about climate change denial because it is often weaponized to justify violence. As a counterterrorism expert, the speaker has seen how misinformation and disinformation can escalate into real-world violence, particularly in extremist movements like ecofascism.

What is the connection between ecofascism and climate change denial?

Ecofascism, as illustrated by the El Paso Walmart shooter in 2019, involves beliefs that climate change can be blamed on immigrants and that the elimination of people of color is necessary for environmental sustainability. This dangerous ideology is rooted in climate change denial and misinformation.

What is the difference between misinformation and disinformation?

Misinformation refers to false or misleading information that is spread without malicious intent, while disinformation is intentionally spread with the goal of causing harm or manipulating others.

How does disinformation manipulate people's emotions?

Disinformation is effective because it taps into people's emotions, particularly anger and fear, and offers simplistic solutions. It often includes a clear villain and a hero, creating a sense of urgency or injustice that overrides rational thinking.

What are the two most common manipulation tactics used to spread disinformation, as mentioned in the transcript?

The two most common manipulation tactics are decontextualization (removing information from its original context to mislead people) and fearmongering (exaggerating an issue to provoke fear and alarm).

Can you give an example of decontextualization used in disinformation?

An example of decontextualization in disinformation is when inauthentic images were circulated during protests in Europe. One such image falsely depicted the Ukrainian embassy in Paris being attacked with manure, but it was actually footage from an unrelated protest in Dijon, France.

What is the role of AI in spreading disinformation, according to the speaker?

AI tools are increasingly used to generate convincing disinformation content, making it easier for anyone, not just those with significant resources, to create and spread false narratives. The speaker shows an AI-generated image of Paris streets lined with hay to illustrate how technology can be exploited for manipulation.

What is ‘prebunking,’ and how does it help combat disinformation?

Prebunking is a communication technique aimed at helping people recognize and reject manipulative messages before they encounter them. It involves three steps: providing an emotional warning, showing examples of manipulative messaging, and teaching people how to refute such messages in real time.

What was the impact of Moonshot's prebunking campaign in Germany?

Moonshot's prebunking campaign in Germany reached 42 million people, which is half the country's population. On average, viewers of the campaign were 10% more likely to identify manipulation efforts compared to those who hadn’t seen the videos.