The project “#InfluencersAgainstDisinfo: Empowering Online Opinion Leaders to Enhance Democratic Resilience in the Age of Information Manipulation” promotes democratic resilience at a time when disinformation increasingly affects public opinion and political discourse. Through an intensive two-year program, influencers and content creators from Germany and other Central and Eastern European countries are given the tools to effectively recognize and combat disinformation. Participants benefit from workshops, study trips, and exchanges with scientists, experts, and decision-makers to promote informed, fact-based communication in their online communities.
To further these skills , selected participants are offered the opportunity to participate in the leadership seminars of Aspen Germany. These seminars are designed to strengthen essential skills in areas such as ethical decision-making, strategic thinking, and effective communication. The aim is to support participants not only as opinion leaders in the digital sphere but also as leaders within their communities and networks.
This project builds on the previous project “Disinformation and the Role of Social Media Influencers in Times of Crises, Conflicts, and Wars”, conducted in 2023. This project developed strategies against disinformation and shared them with actors from politics, social media, and civil society, discussing the role of influencers in democratic societies during times of conflict.
The application period for the 2025 cohort is currently open. If you are an interested social media influencers or content creator please apply here
2025 Project Events
- April 16th 2025, Welcome Digital Workshop
- May 5th – 7th 2025, Vilnius Study Trip
- June 5th 2025, Digital Workshop
- June 19th 2025, Digital Workshop
- July 22th 2025, Digital Workshop
- September 17th – 19th 2025, Berlin Study Trip
- October 8th 2025, Wrap Up Digital Workshop
#InfluencersAgainstDisinfo: Empowering Online Opinion Leaders to Enhance Democratic Resilience in the Age of Information Manipulation 2025
The second year of the project expands the focus to foreign disinformation campaigns targeting national elections in Germany, Ukraine, Czech Republic, Romania, Moldova, and Lithuania. Similar to the first year, participants are trained through digital workshops and study trips to Berlin and Vilnius read more.
#InfluencersAgainstDisinfo: Empowering Online Opinion Leaders to Enhance Democratic Resilience in the Age of Information Manipulation 2024
In the first year of the “#InfluencersAgainstDisinfo” project, the main focus is on combating disinformation by (domestic) actors, especially in the context of the EU elections. Participants from Germany, Ukraine, Poland, and Slovakia are trained in a series of digital workshops and two study trips to Berlin and Warsaw read more.
The project is funded by the Federal Foreign Office and supported by the Aspen Institute Central Europe and the Aspen Institute Kyiv.
Completed Projects
Disinformation and the Role of Social Media Influencers in Times of Crises, Conflicts, and Wars 2023
Influencers and content creators on social media have gained a prominent role in today’s information environment as opinion makers and agenda setters. They are no longer solely relevant in the communication and marketing strategies of companies but are also gaining importance in the political information ecosystem. You can find more information here.
