Unsocial media

On 26 September, Europe's biggest democracy will go to the polls. Germany is the powerhouse of the EU, its largest economy and the centre of its political nervous system: the German Chancellor is generally regarded as one of the bloc's informal leaders.

The winner of the election will also find themselves presiding over one of the world's greatest manufacturing powers, an important US ally, a ballast against Russian power and a target of Chinese diplomacy. They will steward 83 million people through the next stages of the Covid-19 pandemic.

But Germany looks set to become the latest Western democracy to fall victim to a a different endemicCommon to a particular place or community. virus: fake news.

So far, German fake news has followed the familiar patterns of far-right misinformation. After the centre-right Christian Democratic UnionA centre-right party in Germany that is one of the most successful political parties in history. It has been in power in Germany for 50 of the last 70 years. (CDU) defeated the extreme right-wing Alternative for GermanyA German nationalist party that is opposed to immigration and the EU. SInce 2017 it has been the third-largest party in the German federal parliament, the Bundestag. (AfD) in a local election in Saxony-AnhaltA German state that was previously part of communist East Germany. It has been seen as one of the parts of Germany in which the AfD might gain a foothold. in July, some AfD supporters alleged that election fraud had taken place.

The main target of fake news has been the leader of the Green PartyA centre-left party largely focused on environmental politics. It formed part of a coalition government with the Social Democrats between 1998 and 2005., Annalena Baerbock. Viral social media posts have claimed that she plans to ban pets and barbecues, disarm the police and make schools teach the QuranThe holy book of Islam, whose words are believed by Muslims to have been passed directly from God to the Prophet Muhammad in a series of visions spanning 23 years..

Other posts have linked her with billionaire George SorosA Hungarian businessman who has been the target of nationalist and anti-Semitic conspiracy theories., a hate figure for the far-right. One survey found that more than half of all voters have come across at least one falsehood about Baerbock.

It is hard to prove that fake news has had an impact on the campaign. But earlier in the year, the Greens were surging in the polls. Since then they have slumped to third place.

As in other countries, much of the fake news in circulation seems to be sponsored by foreign agents: Russia, and also TurkeyOfficially the Republic of Turkiye, a country that lies partly in Europe and partly in Asia at the east of the Mediterranean. , which has a close but often fraught relationship with both the EU and Germany.

For some, this is evidence that democracy simply cannot survive the fake news epidemic. A healthy democracy relies on a well-informed populace making rational decisions and respecting election results whether they win or lose. Misinformation warps their choices and creates bitter divisions.

Social media companies have recognised this and made some efforts to shut down fake news. But experts think this self-regulation is not working. They claim that the social media companies have little incentive to stamp out misinformation, because conspiracy theories attract users to their sites, making them a valuable revenue stream.

While some have called for government regulation of social media sites, others worry that this could have dangerous implications for free speech. And if some people feel they are being unfairly silenced, this could also create still more political division.

That is why for some experts, the answer is not meddling with the social media sites, but inoculating people against misinformation. Teaching people, and especially young people, media literacy can help them avoid being taken in by false claims.

Is teaching media literacy the best solution?

Absolutely, say some. Fake news is a disease - there is a reason we say posts have "gone viral" - and like any other disease the only long-term solution is vaccination. Social media is a form of communication like none other in human history: it is fast-moving, chaotic, decentralised and lawless. The only way people can survive in such a landscape is if they are equipped with the right skills.

Not at all, say others. There is a reason why viral misinformation spreads so easily: modern technology has created a society of atomised people desperately looking for a community. Online extremists provide a sense of self and purpose for people who are lonely and frustrated. Until we tackle this problem, people will continue to believe and spread conspiracy theories and fake news.