From June 6 to 8, Aspen Germany hosted a group of social media influencers and creators to discuss disinformation in times of war and how to counter it. On June 7, the group met with the First Deputy Spokesperson of the German Federal Government, Christiane Hoffmann, and representatives at the German Federal Press Office.
The meeting was part of the first study tour of the project “Disinformation and the Role of Social Media Influencers in Times of Crises, Conflicts, and Wars.” The project brings together seventeen social media influencers and content creators from Germany, Ukraine, Romania, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, and Latvia with other actors to discuss their role in democratic societies in times of conflict. Over the course of 2023, participants will exchange lessons learned, meet with academics, experts, and decision-makers, and discuss mechanisms of disinformation online and how to counter them. The results will be published in the form of policy recommendations.
During the study tour, participants identified areas of action and effective measures to combat disinformation, examined the role and potential of influencers in promoting democratic resilience through their online presence, and exchanged views on the situation in their respective countries, particularly Ukraine. Next to meeting with representatives of the Federal Press Office, the group also met for a distinguished speakers dinner with representatives from the Federal Foreign Office, the platform industry, communication experts, and NGOs.
The next digital meeting in the project is scheduled for October 4, 2023. The second and final in-person study tour will be held in Prague, December 6-8, 2023.
