European opinion: punish misinformation
Chilling: Spain’s El Pais says it is imperative that societies start imposing high costs and severe consequences to organizations and individuals who deliberately and continuously disseminate false information, But who watches the watchers? (Translated from original Spanish.)
The list of tactics used by the modern gaslighters is long and nefarious, but includes contradictions, confusion and skepticism about the validity of previously unquestionable truths which are then replaced with false narratives. There are also attacks on the person’s self-esteem and the exploitation of their insecurities, along with the concealment of information and the constant use of falsehoods.
Gaslighting is closely related to another word that, in 2016, was selected by the Cambridge Dictionary as the word of the year: post-truth. This is the propensity to accept an idea as true based on emotions rather than facts.
We have already seen the dire consequences of the use of social media to deepen divisions, spread lies and foment chaos.
Attempts to influence the opinions and behavior of a society (or part of it) are, of course, nothing new. And propaganda has always been an indispensable tool in political contests. Today, however, propaganda, post-truth, large-scale dissemination of lies and gaslighting have acquired unusual power and toxicity. New technologies and a plethora of social media platforms allow individuals and groups to play a role that was previously only available to governments, political parties or corporations.
It is urgent that we protect societies from the harmful use of these new platforms.
To achieve this, it is imperative that we impose high costs and serious consequences both on digital offenders and on those who facilitate their unacceptable behaviors. Only by imposing high monetary, legal and reputational costs will society be able to defend itself against the modern manifestations of large-scale use of gaslighting.
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