Authoritarian states are sculpting an alternative reality in our news feeds

Disinformation today is more about the subtle sculpting of how we see the world. Over time, it might make us doubt the very value of democracy itself, writes Aiden Hoyle

Chinese President Xi Jinping. Both Russia and China are critical of the 'international rules-based order', a framework of liberal rules and political norms that emerged after the second world war. They see this order as western-centric and want to reshape the global order in their interest.

When we talk about disinformation — the intentional spreading of misleading information — we usually picture blatant lies and “fake news” pushed by foreign governments. Sometimes the intention is to sway voters in elections, and sometimes it’s to sow confusion in a crisis.

But this is a somewhat simplified version of events. In fact, authoritarian countries, such as Russia and, increasingly, China, are engaged in continuous and more expansive projects aimed at creating a tilted political reality. They seek to subtly undermine the image of western democracies, presenting themselves, and their growing bloc of authoritarian partners, as the future.