The Role of Disinformation in 2024 Elections: A Tool for Manipulation or a Game-Changer?

With European, US, and several national elections anticipated in 2024, apprehensions regarding the influence of disinformation on voter decisions are on the rise. Elections, serving as pivotal democratic processes empowering citizens to shape policymaking, are increasingly vulnerable to disinformation and manipulation of facts within political and media spheres. Various malicious actors resort to disinformation tactics to instill fear, sow discord, or foster distrust among the populace, ultimately aiming to undermine confidence in democratic governance systems. The current Russian invasion of Ukraine underscores the significant role of disinformation, with Russia employing such tactics to dissuade European governments and citizens from extending economic and military support to the embattled nation. This serves as a poignant example of disinformation's detrimental effects on public opinion and decision-making processes. Furthermore, the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) presents new challenges, potentially amplifying the potency of disinformation in elections through unpredictable means. 

In this upcoming public lecture, taking place from 15.00 until 16.30, Dr. Olga Chyzhova from the “Ukrainian Prism” think tank will delve into the common actors, targets, and methods employed in disseminating disinformation amid Russia's aggression against Ukraine. In her presentation, Olga will also reflect on the extent to which disinformation can be a game changer for the upcoming elections in Europe and globally. The lecture will be followed by Q&A.

Speaker's bio

Dr Olga Chyzhova serves as the Communication Director at the Foreign Policy Council "Ukrainian Prism." In this role, she oversees various international research projects in the field of disinformation, including Disinformation Resilience Index and COVID-19 Disinformation Response Index, focusing on communication activities of the Kremlin’s information and psychological campaigns in Central and Eastern Europe. Since February 2022, Olga has led a humanitarian initiative of the Ukrainian Prism focused on searching for international support, delivering and distributing assistance to Ukrainian military and civilian population affected by war. Olga is previously the Editor-in-Chief of the monthly Eastern Partnership Think Bridge Digest and coordinator of the Eastern Partnership Think Bridge Network, uniting think tanks from the region. In 2019-2022 she was a member of the Steering Committee of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum. Olga is also a co-founder of the Digital Communication Network, an international association connecting professionals of the digital age to generate ideas, tools, products for media, NGOs and governments in more than 30 countries. She is also an author of training courses and a trainer for civil society organisations on digital communication tools for policy advocacy. Olga has over ten years of working experience in traditional Ukrainian media, from print to broadcast to web.

Moderated by:

Dmytro Panchuk, Postdoctoral researcher, Department of Public Governance and Management, Ghent University

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