Misinformation Thematic Intelligence Report Overview

Misinformation flourishes in the digital economy. Misinformation poses a major threat to the integrity of democratic elections. In 2024, approximately four billion people will head to the polls, with various actors attempting to influence outcomes by spreading false information. Increasingly, civil society is blaming Big Tech companies for allowing the proliferation of false narratives spread by humans and bots on the web. They stand accused of distorting the information we consume in ways that are bad for us individually and collectively.

The misinformation thematic intelligence report provides an overview of the misinformation theme and identifies the key trends that will shape the growth of the theme over the next 12 to 24 months. The report also covers the key players making a mark within the misinformation theme.

Key Trends in the Misinformation Market

The main trends shaping the misinformation theme over the next 12 to 24 months are technology trends, macroeconomic trends, and regulatory trends.

Technology Trends: A few of the key technology trends impacting the misinformation theme are the proliferation of AI, microtargeting that allows advertisers to target specific demographics, and technology innovations among others.

Macroeconomic Trends: Elections across various countries scheduled in 2024, culture wars between different groups in society, and the impact of misinformation on populations due to limited access to reliable sources of information and lower education rates are a few of the major macroeconomic trends impacting the misinformation theme.

Regulatory Trends: Initiatives against misinformation from several nations are the major regulatory trend impacting the misinformation theme in the coming years. Since 2018, several initiatives from governments worldwide have attempted to stem the flow of online misinformation. However, a simple regulation is not a viable solution in democratic countries, as laws that curb fake news can directly threaten freedom of expression. Therefore, most of the initiatives are guidelines, proposals, or laws that apply to a specific period.

Key Highlights

Misinformation poses a major threat to the integrity of democratic elections. In 2024, approximately four billion people will head to the polls, with various actors attempting to influence outcomes by spreading false information. Increasingly, civil society is blaming Big Tech companies for allowing the proliferation of false narratives spread by humans and bots on the web. They stand accused of distorting the information we consume in ways that are bad for us individually and collectively.

Some companies are increasing their efforts to combat misinformation without impacting online expression. However, certain social media platforms have relaxed moderation standards, heightening the issue.

The companies that will benefit from increased misinformation regulation do not profit from targeted ads. Tech companies advancing misinformation-prone AI systems, internet services that profit from targeted ads, and ad companies will be negatively impacted.

Reasons to Buy

Regulators and policymakers disagree on how to tackle misinformation, as it risks impacting online freedom of expression. Yet there has never been a broader consensus that something must be done, and since 2020, more regulations have been introduced globally to tackle the issue. In this report, we identify the likely winners and losers of regulatory action on misinformation.