The Psychology of State-Sponsored Disinformation Campaigns and Implications for Public Diplomacy: Challenges in Forging and Implementing a Joint Agenda

The Psychology of State-Sponsored Disinformation Campaigns and Implications for Public Diplomacy: Challenges in Forging and Implementing a Joint Agenda

State-sponsored disinformation campaigns have become increasingly prevalent in recent years, with identity-grievance campaigns being one of the most common forms. These campaigns target polarized social identities and exploit real or perceived grievances, often leveraging low institutional trust. They have been successful due to the concurrent political, social, and cultural trends that have affected societies worldwide, including populism, economic inequality, migration, low social capital, and extreme political polarization.

The success of identity-grievance campaigns can be attributed to two psychological mechanisms: motivated reasoning and affective polarization. Motivated reasoning is the tendency to avoid dissonant information or beliefs, leading individuals to bias in their response to information and arguments. Beliefs, which are a foundation of identity, elicit negative emotional responses when threatened. In order to protect their self- and social identity, people often resist corrective messages that contradict their motivated beliefs.

Affective polarization refers to the amplification of closely held social identities and the increased prejudice towards out-groups. This polarization leads to greater negative affect towards the out-group, making individuals more likely to adopt and promote disinformation about them. Identity-grievance campaigns take advantage of these emotional responses to persuade, reinforce polarization, promote the sharing of disinformation, and resist its correction.

To counter identity-grievance disinformation campaigns, public diplomacy campaigns can employ strategies such as identity-affirmation and shared identities/values. Identity-affirmation positively affirms the identity or values of the audience, while providing information or claims that challenge the disinformation. This strategy aims to lessen the negative affective polarization towards the out-group. Shared identities/values approach focuses on priming a common in-group identity, such as national identity, to reduce negative affective polarization and vulnerability to disinformation.

Another emerging disinformation strategy is information gaslighting, which involves the rapid proliferation of false or misleading information online. The primary goal of information flooding is to sow uncertainty and create a sense of loss of control over the information environment. This strategy leads to cognitive exhaustion, low motivation, and anxiety among audiences, making it difficult for them to discern truth from fiction.

To counter information gaslighting, public diplomacy campaigns can provide self-affirmation to audiences on their ability to discern accurate information. Building self-confidence among targeted populations that they have the skills and ability to tell truth from fiction can combat the learned helplessness induced by information gaslighting. Additionally, information-discernment education can improve information literacy and critical evaluation skills among audiences, reducing their susceptibility to disinformation.

In addition to state-sponsored disinformation campaigns, the article also discusses the challenges in forging and implementing a joint agenda between the African Union (AU) and the European Union (EU). These challenges arise from differences in capacities, perceptions, and priorities, hindering the implementation of policy frameworks for joint action. Compliance within AU member states is limited due to a lack of ratification and domestication of AU legal instruments.

Differences in the perception of human rights have made it challenging to agree on a common agenda. The EU focuses on exporting and promoting values of democracy and human rights, while the AU focuses on creating and strengthening instruments at the continental level. The AU recognizes the notion of traditional values, which counters the EU's narrative on the universality of human rights.

Cooperation between the EU and Africa on migration has also been hindered by differences in perceptions, interests, and priorities. The EU's emphasis on border management and countering trafficking of migrants conflicts with the AU's interest in leveraging migration for development and fostering inter-regional mobility. The EU's funding through the EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa has been directed towards security issues rather than development, further exacerbating the differences between the partners.

To address these challenges, the AU has developed a common migration policy framework for Africa, promoting free movement of people and the protection of rights. However, the absence of monitoring, enforcement, guidance, and support mechanisms hinders compliance with this framework.

In conclusion, state-sponsored disinformation campaigns and the challenges in forging and implementing a joint agenda between the AU and EU both require strategic approaches and actionable advice. Here are three actionable advice to address these issues:

1. Promote media literacy and critical evaluation skills: Increasing audiences' ability to evaluate information critically can reduce their susceptibility to disinformation. This can be achieved through information-discernment education and training programs.

2. Foster shared identities and values: By priming a common in-group identity, such as national identity, public diplomacy campaigns can reduce negative affective polarization towards out-groups. This lessens vulnerability to disinformation and promotes a more cohesive society.

3. Invest in human capital and development: African countries need to invest in their human capital to address the challenges of population growth and youth unemployment. By providing education and employment opportunities, countries can harness the potential of their growing population and reduce the drivers of irregular migration.

By understanding the psychological mechanisms behind state-sponsored disinformation campaigns and addressing the challenges in forging and implementing a joint agenda, we can develop effective strategies to counter disinformation and promote cooperation between nations.