THE digital landscape is shifting beneath our feet. Not long ago, I reflected on the disturbing rise of misinformation and disinformation—a phenomenon that has transformed social media from a bridge of connection into a breeding ground for character assassination and public deception. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok, and Telegram, while revolutionary, are increasingly weaponised to tarnish reputations for personal or political gain.

We have all felt the sting of this shift. Perhaps you have seen a post claiming a public figure has suddenly passed away, complete with fabricated condolences and mourning families. You might also have encountered a social media post often "cooked" or manufactured with the sole intent of tarnishing a person’s image.

In the emotional whirlwind of breaking, but often false, news, it is easy to become an unwitting accomplice, sharing the "news" with loved ones only to realise later you were a pawn in a digital hoax who could be sued for libel. Today, prestigious institutions find themselves in a permanent defensive crouch, forced to issue constant refutations against false reports of tragic accidents, staff fatalities, or breaches of personal information not intended for public consumption.

This is not merely a social media annoyance; it is a systemic crisis of information integrity. According to the World Economic Forum (WEF) Global Risks Report 2026, misinformation and disinformation are now classified as top-tier "global risks." The data is sobering. Citing the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2025, the findings reveal that trust in news fell from 44 per cent in 2018 to just 40 per cent in 2025. Simultaneously, news avoidance—people intentionally tuning out to protect their mental health—rose from 32-40 per cent, while public anxiety over misinformation climbed from 54-58 per cent.

The "weaponisation of deepfakes"—digitally altered audio, images, and video recordings—is particularly chilling. These technologies effectively erase the line between fact and fiction, undermining democratic institutions, and inciting social upheaval. From the United States and the Netherlands to India and Argentina, recent elections have been besieged by fabricated content designed to discredit candidates or invent fictional events.

In the United Kingdom, research highlighted by the WEF indicates that 87 per cent of citizens worry about deepfakes influencing election outcomes. While awareness of the threat is high, our collective ability to detect these sophisticated lies remains dangerously low.

Perhaps the most harrowing consequence is human desensitisation. When we are bombarded with a relentless stream of negative, violent, or fabricated content, we lose our capacity for empathy. We see this play out locally: individuals celebrating the mourning of others or applauding the appalling suffering of others. We are witnessing a transition from human connectivity to a "monstrous" insensitivity, where individualism and separatism trump global citizenship.

The WEF warns that within a decade, AI-generated deception could become ubiquitous, creating a fragmented public sphere where consensus on basic facts—the very foundation of a functioning society—breaks down. In autocratic systems, this vacuum is often filled by fear and conspiracy theories that incite physical violence and entrench societal polarisation.

Our children are the most vulnerable casualties in this war for truth. Growing up in a blurred reality, their cognitive development is at significant risk. A UNICEF analysis on digital misinformation and disinformation concluded that "fake news" threatens the wellbeing of young people and their trust in the democratic process. They are navigating a digital world of "junk news" and "computational propaganda" before they have developed the critical literacy required to protect their own interests.

In their study, “The Proliferation of Inaccurate and Misleading Information,” researchers Muhammad Tariq and colleagues distinguish between "misinformation" (unintentional errors) and "disinformation" (deliberate harm). They argue that disinformation now permeates every facet of life—religion, health, the economy, and culture—stalling social development and poisoning public discourse.

The solution to this crisis demands a dual approach: a commitment to individual responsibility paired with indispensable global cooperation.

Cultivating critical thinking: We must foster a culture of radical verification. Information should never be accepted at face value. By developing sharp critical thinking and discernment, we can protect ourselves and our children and the next generation from falling victim to digital traps and uncertainty.

Developing discernment: Before consuming or sharing information, its source, intent, and suitability for public consumption must be confirmed. The question of why we often succumb to easily discredited news highlights a critical need to develop intelligent reasoning, without which we remain empty vessels vulnerable to manipulation.

However, individual effort alone is not enough. The WEF stresses that global cooperation is essential for effective risk management. A decline in information integrity directly leads to a decline in trust in infrastructure providers and the state's ability to protect its citizens. To combat this systemic issue, we need:

Collaborative mechanisms: New partnerships between states, infrastructure providers, and civil society to protect the public sphere.

Media literacy: Integrating digital defence skills into education systems to prepare future generations.

Infrastructure accountability: Holding platforms responsible for the algorithmic promotion of harmful content.

As the WEF report poignantly notes: "The future is not a single, fixed path, but a range of possible trajectories, each dependent on the decisions we make today." We face a shared responsibility to shape what comes next. We must choose whether we will let deception flourish and divide us or work together to reclaim the integrity of our shared truth.

The author is a Dar es Salaam-based lawyer. He can be reached at t22magobe@gmail.com