Throughout the history of humanity, human beings have shown a high capacity for resilience and survival that have put them in advantageous positions in adverse scenarios, but they have never faced a crisis of global proportions under the influence of digital media. and technology.
The battle against the pandemic that we are currently fighting has several fronts, powered on a large scale by social networks, the infodemic and the inability of governments to regulate everything that arrives to and from cyberspace.
The multiple efforts at the local, regional and global levels to mitigate the impact of the Covid in today’s society seem scarce given the overabundance of information, the premeditated attempts to disseminate inaccurate, misleading or manipulated information with the aim of privileging political agendas rather than health public.
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The poor quality of information that is disseminated, even from presidential pulpits across the globe, as well as the misinformation of marginalized and highly vulnerable segments of the population, can ultimately undermine the welfare state of the population in as a whole and jeopardize serious and forceful efforts to put an end to one of the deepest and most multi-causal crises that humanity has experienced.
The anti-vaccination, anti-confinement, anti-mask and anti-restriction movements seem to feed on the lack of certainty in local policies and economic strategies, but above all on misinformation.
Faced with an extremely stressful and not very encouraging outlook, the global population has considerably decreased its level of trust in leaders who, in addition to facing health risks, must guarantee access to optimal conditions that allow economic reactivation, the recovery of human development and access to reliable, accurate and updated information that entails the promotion of effective vaccination strategies, sustainable preventive measures and sustainable schemes under comprehensive welfare schemes that prevent the virus from continuing to thrive.
It is a reality that both disinformation and the spread of fake news polarize digital citizens and heats up the debate on anti-Covid strategies and scenarios; dispersing hate speech, deepening discrimination and increasing the possibilities of violence and conflicts associated with human rights violations that will damage the social fabric, post-pandemic democratic processes and delay development and economic recovery.
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Under this scenario, it is urgent that governments develop strategies to combat the other pandemic, one that is accompanied by false and manipulated information without censoring or violating the right to expression or access to information.
Due to the great progress in the processes of digital transformation and development of information technologies, it is urgent to change the focus of official speeches regarding the measures that will be implemented as part of the transition towards the post-pandemic era in which the coordination between Civil society, specialized international organizations and governments take action and responsibility regarding the dissemination that adds value by promoting assertive, effective and empathetic communication schemes, with precise and reliable approaches based purely on scientific findings and removing the bias of interests political, clientelistic, populist and / or partisan.
Combating misinformation and the spread of biased and false news will help strengthen resilience and proposed solutions for planned, truly orderly and consistent returns to both classrooms and workplaces.
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