Digital distrust and polarisation: 'We need to get back to engaging with one another as a society'

François Picard is pleased to welcome Valdemar Osted, partner and head of technology at Danish digital consultants Common Consultancy. Can the fear of disinformation become as dangerous to democracy as disinformation itself? Osted challenges widely circulated claims that attacks on Russian data centres have triggered a sudden collapse in online engagement among supporters of US President Donald Trump and Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD). Drawing on social media monitoring and research into inauthentic behaviour, Osted reports finding no unusual decline in Facebook interactions following the attacks.

While acknowledging the reality of Russian influence operations and disinformation campaigns, he cautions against confusing the existence of bots with evidence of meaningful electoral influence.

More fundamentally, he argues that the democratic danger extends beyond foreign interference to the growing suspicion that undermines public confidence in political discourse. "The mere presence of even a small amount of misinformation or disinformation can, over time, erode trust in democracy and our institutions," he warns.

His analysis raises a broader question for contemporary democracies: when allegations of manipulation become pervasive, can widespread fear of deception lead to democratic destabilisation?