Davos forum is ‘easy target’ for conspiracy theorists

A city in the Swiss Alps where heads of state and business titans meet for a week of debate: the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos is the prime target for conspiracy theorists pushing the idea of ​​a elite cabal that rules the world.

Celebrities, tycoons and world leaders gathered in Davos to discuss the toughest issues facing humanity, from the war in Ukraine to climate catastrophes and even the threat of disinformation.

But the annual meeting itself has become a magnet for gross falsehoods, such as that the WEF wants people to eat bugs instead of meat to combat food insecurity.

Giving these ludicrous theories oxygen is what observers call backstage deals between business leaders, a custom of the WEF that feeds the idea that it is run by a shadowy cabal working for private gain under the guise. to solve public problems.

“The World Economic Forum is the target of misinformation and disinformation because it occupies a unique space in the public consciousness: a gathering of the world’s most powerful and influential economic players in a forum that showcases and celebrates both.said Michael W. Mosser, executive director of the Global Disinformation Lab at the University of Texas at Austin.

“The opacity of the World Economic Forum, coupled with its conviction that economic globalization is good for humanity, lends itself to accusations that it is out of touch with ‘ordinary’ people.”, Mosser told AFP.

“It will be a lightning rod”

AFP’s fact-checking team recently denied social media posts claiming that the WEF issued a statement endorsing pedophilia, which its spokesperson called “completely made up”.

The posts also falsely claimed that the WEF requested that “millions of cats and dogs are euthanized around the world” to fight against climate change. AFP found no trace of such an initiative.

The wave of misinformation, which observers say was once restricted to a radical fringe, has gained ground online as inequality worsens globally.

Since 2020, the fortunes of billionaires have increased by US$ 2.7 billion a day, even as inflation has depleted the wages of at least 1.7 billion workers around the world, according to the NGO Oxfam in a report published today. the inauguration of the Davos forum.

“Davos is among the most high-profile caucuses in the world, so it will naturally be a lightning rod for anyone with a grievance against the current status quo, whether real, like wealth inequality, or imagined, like the vaccinesDanny Rogers, co-founder of the nonprofit Global Disinformation Index, told AFP.

The false narratives “they often take advantage of a variety of pre-existing conspiracies rooted in a similar distrust of government, science, and other democratic institutions”.

“Easy target”

The elitist nature of the forum, which many business titans pay tens of thousands of dollars to attend, perpetuates that mistrust.

“The WEF is an easy target (of misinformation): it is very expensive and can only be attended by invitation”, Claire Wardle, co-director of the Information Futures Lab at Brown University, told AFP.

“It is reproducing the foundation of every conspiracy theory, which is that the world is being controlled by a secret elite and you are not part of it.”

That was evident in sarcastic memes, including one depicting a typical Davos meal: a person hunched over a bowl of coins, a large spoon in hand.

Fueling those memes were also comments mocking news reports that prostitution had flourished in Davos during the WEF.

A Forum session on the “clear and present danger of misinformation”, which was attended by media outlets, including the editor of The New York Times, became the target of conspiracy theorists.

The debate on disinformation, according to a conservative podcast, was intended to attack the public’s right to criticize the WEF’s agenda.

“Like many other high-profile organizations, we have seen unsubstantiated claims and conspiracy theories replace reason with fantasy.”, Yann Zopf, WEF media chief, told AFP.

“With rising fears about the cost of living, exacerbated by the pandemic and the energy crisis, it is now more critical than ever to address misinformation head-on.”