Disinformation and the manipulation of reality

This session will explore the ethical dilemmas around disinformation and the use of narratives and emotions in manipulating reality. An increasingly influential stream of research demonstrates the integration of cognition and emotion in political decision-making. Political cognition is emotionally shaped. The role of narratives in shaping people’s minds has become an important area of research and debate, in particular in recent years when entire societies have made choices that seem “rationally” counterintuitive.

The COVID-19 pandemic and the accompanying ‘infodemic’ described by the WHO has placed science disinformation at the centre of global debates. In an ever more complex world, how do we address these issues? The outcomes of this debate will guide our work on developing a European Observatory on Narratives.

The expert panel includes:

Moderated by: Erika Widegren, Chief Executive at Re-Imagine Europa