“There will always be manipulators among us; it’s up to us whether we’ll be stupid enough to believe them”

On Friday, 6th November, MEP Irena Joveva was a guest on the Slovenian Radio Ptuj’s show ‘Slovenia, the European Union and the World’. The conversation covered issues around the pandemic, such as the current situation, disinformation, and the negative impact of disinformation and this sphere’s regulators within the EU – where the Digital Services Act will play a key role.

“This mandate is truly unique. First the exit of a member state and then the pandemic. Only for the short period of six months could we work normally. In March, everything came to a standstill, including our work and after that, everything changed,” began the MEP.

How successful was the first year of her mandate? What were her priorities and her achievements? Joveva is a member of four parliamentary committees and a shadow rapporteur responsible for numerous opinions, from the Digital Services Act and artificial intelligence to the strengthening media freedom and the European Solidarity Corps. Soon she will cooperate in her capacity as the general rapporteur on the opinion of the Committee on Culture regarding the citizens’ participation in the decision-making in the EU.

“I am building credibility with my colleagues, they trust me with more important reports, they ask for my opinion and my support … But you should know that most of the results are only evident later on because the legislative process is long-running and one can hardly attribute it to only oneself,” explained the MEP, emphasizing the importance of networking to gain influence and to achieve goals.

Joveva and the journalist also discussed briefly the current situation regarding the pandemic and in the second part, the MEP spoke about fighting against disinformation, especially in current times.

I believe there has been too much disinformation going around since time immemorial, even only one is overmuch and it’s getting  increasingly dangerous in these times. On the one hand, because of the digitalization of our age, and, on the other,  – which is even worse – because it is dangerous to human health and lives.

As a result, the Digital Services Act, according to Joveva, has never been more important. Although the EU and major online platforms have already taken some steps, it is still insufficient: “Twitter removes or flags certain misleading records, and Facebook removes dangerous groups, but we need clear, legal regulation. Rules for moderating online content, including disinformation, illegal content, hate speech, and the spread of conspiracy theories…”

According to the MP, it is crucial to find out, who is behind the disinformation: “I find it most problematic that politicians deliberately use these methods, fear and people’s sense of helplessness, to achieve their goals. Politicians, on the other hand, are diverting attention away from the real problems that people face, which they should address together. And that is precisely the problem that makes people feel excluded and disappointed, prompting them to seek explanations on dubious-credibility websites.”

At the same time, she was particularly critical of Slovenian government’s (non)communication. “If you listen to something a politician says every day, then to something another speaker says on another day, and then again to a leader from whatever group, at some point everything starts to seem suspicious, and you ‘switch’ to deceptive information because everything appears to be much simpler at first glance,” Joveva observes.

Is there anything else we can do? The Digital Services Act by itself, as well as increased platform responsibility, will not suffice. “Manipulative policies or systems will always exist, but it will be up to us to decide whether we will – and I apologize for my choice of words – be so stupid as to believe in something that is so obviously manipulative. Education and awareness-raising are critical here, not only from educators, but also from those of us who co-decide and co-shape decisions, and we must be the first to set an example,” the MEP concluded.