Emma Briant on disinformation wars

The post-pandemic years have seen a troubling trend toward increasing international tensions and subsequent bouts of destructive violence on a global scale. Coupled with this pattern has been the weaponization of information—agendas of “disinformation” have emerged. Whether it is the atrocity denial during Russia’s war in Ukraine and the conflict in Gaza the disinformation that prompted violence following the 2020 US election, or the latest threat that AI-generated social media deceptions pose as Election 2024 approaches, the manipulation of the public with propaganda has become increasingly a focus of concern. GJIA sat down with Dr. Emma L. Briant, Associate Professor at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, and a leading expert on propaganda who played a central role in exposing the Cambridge Analytica and Facebook scandal in 2018. In this interview, Dr. Briant addresses common misunderstandings surrounding propaganda and disinformation, considers major issues confronting us, and offers insights into what is needed to address the problem in the future.