Zlatko Valentic, Research Assistant at the University of Freiburg and Head of Research at VIGILANT, was recently interviewed to discuss the challenges that disinformation poses to democratic understanding and trust. The conversation was part of a conference “Democracy in the Age of Disinformation,” held at the University of Freiburg.
Zlatko Valentic recently shared his insights on how public understanding and trust are increasingly affected by information manipulation - an issue at the core of VIGILANT’s mission. The interview took place at the conference Democracy in the Age of Disinformation, which he co-organised.
He emphasised the idea of the “interpretational space”, the political space in which understanding happens. It is within this space that understanding can emerge - or break down - depending on how information is shared and processed.
“An environment is created in which people cobble together their world view just as they see fit - not on the basis of knowledge but along emotional and ideological preferences,“
He explained, referring to how misleading content often gains traction in the digital space.
These concerns reflect the objectives of the VIGILANT project, which aims to help law enforcement and civil society actors detect, analyse, and investigate harmful content online.
Zlatko Valentic also warned that when misleading content becomes normalised, it can weaken the belief of citizens in democratic principles:
“We need to insist again and again that the difference between right and wrong is not arbitrary. If you negate this difference, you also call into question the conditions of mutual understanding.”
Read the original interview here.