fact finder
Current analyzes show that disinformation against women always works according to similar mechanisms – and that internationally. Women would be pushed out of the political discourse in a targeted manner – with consequences for democracy and society.
Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has already been the target of disinformation campaigns on several occasions – sometimes with considerable success: Last year, for example, the German media made misleading allegations against the Greens politician that allegedly came from Russian originators. The trick comes from the mothball box of disinformation, but it is effective: an interview with the foreign minister was edited in such a way that the meaning was completely distorted.
Immediately after her nomination for chancellor candidate, Baerbock had been massively attacked – including with manipulated images.
Not an isolated case, as a current analysis shows. Attacks that portray women in politics as promiscuous or with an unconventional sexual past are a common and effective tactic to harm them. Lucina Di Meco, co-founder of the online campaign #ShePersisted, also says Baerbock’s example also reflects other phenomena she has written about in a new study titled Monetizing Misogyny.
The Initiative #ShePersisted campaigns against gender-specific disinformation against women in politics. The analysis, released in February, concludes that gender disinformation not only reverses women’s rights and democracy at large, but also threatens national security when foreign actors use it to divide society.
propaganda weapon against women
The study highlights concrete case studies over a period of two years in five countries – Brazil, Italy, Hungary, Tunisia and India. More than 50 female executives were interviewed to examine how authoritarian and illiberal actors use social media as a propaganda weapon. These attacks are often worse for women who come from marginalized population groups – also because they are marked by their opponents as symbols for multicultural societies.
“Misogyny in the online virtual world is an increasingly rapid and particularly effective means of influencing the digital political sphere,” writes author Nitasha Kaul in the study. And since these online subcultures are particularly strong among supporters of right-wing and far-right political leaders, gender disinformation becomes the key tool used by autocrats against female opposition leaders to undermine democracy.
Platforms have “overwhelmingly failed”
Di Meco’s analysis comes to the conclusion that digital platforms “have largely failed to protect women”. In addition, algorithms, automated profiles and trending topics have encouraged and amplified harmful narratives against women. And such campaigns, in turn, serve the commercial interests of the social media platforms. While many platform operators have begun funding research and initiatives on such issues to find solutions, Di Meco says most of these have so far only been “cosmetics.”
And so, in part, the digital revolution has become a threat to democracy. According to the study: “Initially viewed as a welcome tool for emancipation and democracy, digital media is increasingly becoming a tool of oppression and a weapon used against women in politics, activists and journalists around the world world is used.”
Opposition should be suppressed
The experts also warn that women in the opposition should be deliberately silenced. State actors tried to suppress demands from opposition figures for better governance. In Italy, several women interviewed for the study expressed that some political parties deliberately used social media to organize hate campaigns and online harassment against political opponents, especially women.
It is not just women who are the direct targets of these attacks, but also what they stand for: Equal rights for women, but also LGBTQI+ rights, liberal values and inclusive, diverse democracies.
sexist reporting
The International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA), an intergovernmental organization with the aim of promoting democracy worldwide, also warns of the dangers of disinformation against women.
The IDEA also denounces the often sexist reporting: Women in politics are therefore treated by the media in a biased, sexist and discriminatory manner: “When reporters report on women in politics, they often use terms that emphasize the traditional roles of women and themselves focus on their looks. They perpetuate the stereotypes of female politicians as weak, indecisive and emotional,” reads one Summary of a discussion event in December 2022 on the topic.
In addition, women in politics, especially black women, are “overwhelmingly exposed to abuse and gender-based disinformation campaigns”. The aim is to discredit, delegitimize and silence women in politics. Studies have also shown that women are often discouraged and discouraged from engaging in politics due to gender biased media coverage and disinformation.
UNESCO warns against coordinated campaigns
UNESCO also strongly warns that women working in professions that require a public online presence – such as politicians, artists, journalists or human rights and equality activists – are particularly vulnerable to coordinated campaigns of online gender-based disinformation, harassment, hate speech or even death and rape threats are concerned.
The UNESCO calls for various measuresto get the problem under control – in addition to education and criminal prosecution and more gender equality in the development of “artificial intelligence”, this also includes more regulation, which must be coordinated internationally. #ShePersisted also comes to this conclusion: New, globally oriented legal frameworks and approaches to dealing with gender-specific disinformation are required.
Even where there are laws, it is extremely difficult to implement them on a large scale and to combat abuse in a timely manner. Anonymous perpetrators are difficult to track down and the number of such cases exceeds the police and judicial capacities. Therefore, transparency and “due diligence” for social media companies regarding the damage caused by their services are essential – to protect affected women and democracy.
Editor’s note: Patrick Gensing was chief editor of the ARD fact finder until 2022 and now works part-time as a freelance journalist.