As of: March 2, 2024, 11:58 a.m
By: Jana Stabener
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The majority of Germans suspect that false information online comes from protest groups.
“We are more likely to be affected,” contradict climate activists.
More than 80 percent of Germans see disinformation as a major problem for our society and a threat to democracy.
This is shown by the study “Insecure Public” by the Bertelsmann Foundation.
Respondents particularly notice disinformation on social media, followed by blogs and messenger services.
Two thirds of those surveyed believe protest movements and activist groups are responsible for misinformation.
“As part of the study, we did not break down which specific groups the respondents had in mind as the origin of disinformation,” says Kai Unzicker from the Bertelsmann Foundation
BuzzFeed News Germany
, an IPPEN.MEDIA portal.
According to a Bertelsmann study, two thirds of Germans suspect activist groups as a source of disinformation.
What does Fridays For Future say about this?
© © Fridays for Future Germany, imagebroker/IMAGO
Disinformation also plays a role in the Israel war
FFF activist on disinformation: “I see us more as those affected”
One of the best-known activist groups in Germany is the Fridays For Future (FFF) movement.
What does the study result mean for climate protectors?
“As a climate movement, the fight against disinformation has been part of our brand core for years,” says FFF activist Magdalena Hess
BuzzFeed News Germany.
“I therefore see us more as those affected than as the origin of disinformation.
When we post a tweet, it usually only takes a few seconds until the first climate change deniers appear,” says Hess, who works in the social media team at FFF.
“There are numerous conspiracy narratives surrounding our movement: we are all paid from above, we are a lobby for the big CO₂ lie, and instead of fighting the climate crisis, it is actually about something completely different,” she says.
“That makes our work much more difficult.”
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Democracy expert finds the aspect of “media trust” exciting
Kai Unzicker, democracy expert at the Bertelsmann Foundation, finds it “not surprising” that people encounter disinformation primarily on social platforms such as X (formerly Twitter).
However, the aspect of “media trust” is exciting:
people with low media trust:
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tend to blame domestic actors such as the federal government or the German media for disinformation more often.
perceive more disinformation across all channels (except Telegram) than those with medium or high media trust.
The fact that Telegram is an exception “can be interpreted as an indication that a different news landscape has developed on Telegram, in which people with little trust in politics and the media find their worldview confirmed,” says Unzicker.
More on the topic: Vocational school in Darmstadt tests app against disinformation