.png)
Disinformation is no longer a marginal phenomenon—it has become one of the biggest challenges of our digital age. Whether in health matters, political debates, elections, or everyday conversations, false information spreads rapidly, emotionally, and often goes unnoticed. Especially on social media, it reaches wide audiences and influences opinions, attitudes, and societal decisions.
Grenzenlos Digital e. V. investigates the mechanisms, consequences, and risks of disinformation—and develops effective counterstrategies. Through interdisciplinary projects, we explore how disinformation works, how individuals respond to it, and what measures can enhance digital information literacy to counteract the polarization of society.
What is Disinformation?
Why Does Disinformation Pose a Threat?
How Algorithms and AI Fuel Fake News
How Can We Counter Disinformation?
Get Involved – Workshops and Projects to Combat Fake News
What is Disinformation?
Disinformation is the intentional spread of false or misleading information, typically aimed at manipulating public opinion, causing harm, or achieving political, economic, or social objectives. It differs from misinformation, which is incorrect information shared without intention to deceive, and from “malinformation,” which involves factual content used out of context to mislead or cause damage.
Typical forms of disinformation include:
-
Fabricated or false news (“fake news”)
-
Manipulated images or videos (“deepfakes”)
-
Emotionally charged conspiracy narratives
-
Statements, claims, or quotes taken out of context
-
Pseudo-scientific statements
Channels of distribution:
-
Social media and messaging services
-
Comment sections, video platforms
-
Websites with a pseudo-journalistic appearance
Not every spread of disinformation is intentional: alongside strategic actors – such as political players, troll farms, or commercial profiteers – uninformed intermediaries also play a role. People often share content they find credible or emotionally compelling – frequently without taking the time to verify its accuracy.
Why Does Disinformation Pose a Threat?
Disinformation undermines trust in democracy, its institutions, the media, and science. It disrupts meaningful dialogue, fuels polarization and extremism, and creates fertile ground for conspiracy theories. In times of crisis – such as during the COVID-19 pandemic – it can even endanger lives, particularly when it undermines public confidence in expert guidance or medical advice.
Beyond immediate dangers, disinformation hinders people’s ability to engage fully in civic life. When individuals struggle to distinguish between false and verified information, they are less equipped to make informed decisions, participate in democratic processes, or claim their rights. This burden weighs especially heavily on those already facing linguistic or social disadvantages.
How Algorithms and AI Fuel Fake News
Digital platforms and technical systems significantly contribute to the spread of disinformation. Social networks promote content with high engagement rates – often content that is emotional, oversimplified, or polarizing. This algorithmic amplification means that disinformation often becomes more visible than fact-based information.
With the rise of generative artificial intelligence (AI), new challenges have emerged: texts, images, audio, and videos can now be realistically simulated, making it difficult to verify their origin or authenticity. Deepfakes and AI-generated content blur the line between fact and fiction – especially for people with low information literacy, who are more susceptible to digital manipulation.
How Can We Counter Disinformation?
The most effective way to protect against disinformation is to strengthen media and information literacy: people need to learn how to verify information, evaluate sources and authors, and critically question digital content. It is also essential to reflect on one’s own uncertainties and to deal with contradictory information.
Civil society actors, educational institutions, and policymakers share a joint responsibility. Key measures include:
-
Educational initiatives that empower individuals to defend themselves in the digital sphere
-
Awareness-raising on how algorithmic mechanisms influence information flow
-
Fact-checking platforms and accessible tools for verifying content
-
Research focused on at-risk groups and disinformation behavior patterns
Grenzenlos Digital e. V. takes an interdisciplinary approach to addressing disinformation. We conduct qualitative studies on how disinformation is perceived, develop action-oriented models, and provide advanced training for multipliers working in libraries, social institutions, and educational settings. Our goal is to strengthen an informed public that not only recognizes disinformation but also actively counters it.
Get Involved – Workshops & Projects to Combat Fake News
Grenzenlos Digital e. V. brings together research, education, and civic engagement to foster critical approaches to disinformation and to deliberately strengthen societal resilience.
Our current offerings include:
-
A workshop series on disinformation and AI at Berlin-Pankow City Library
Programs on digital self-defense and information literacy -
A research project on disinformation in the health sector
Analyses of disinformation strategies with a pseudo-scientific appearance
Would you like to learn more or get involved? Use our contact form.