Disinformation on the war in Ukraine, the pandemic and other current affairs is threat, above all, to older users of WhatsApp, Facebook and other social media platforms, according to a political scientist specialising in the spread of false information.

"The generation that are not digital natives" are most likely to be influenced by false information, says Josef Holnburger, director of the German non-profit Center for Monitoring, Analysis and Strategy (CeMAS), which monitors conspiracy theories and extremist content.

Older people who came into contact with messenger services such as WhatsApp later in life are being confronted with highly emotionalised content during Russia's current invasion of Ukraine and may take what they see at face value, Holnburger told dpa.

"I think that's why a large part of the education campaigns have to be geared towards the 50+ target group," he added.

As a result, officials keen to address online disinformation campaigns and conspiracy theories ought to focus on older internet users, while so-called digital native who have grown up with stronger media skills can talk to older family members about risks.

In Holnburger's opinion, the problem with a lack of media competence is not as strong among schoolchildren.

More than 60 experts interviewed for a survey by the Vodafone Foundation last summer 2021 confirmed this assessment. They said older people were almost twice as likely to be vulnerable to disinformation campaigns as adolescents and young adults (74% vs. 40%).

"People who may not perceive disinformation as disinformation at all, but as information, are of course the ones who can be influenced the most," Holnburger explained.

"In the future we will need many more advisory services for people who have someone in their circle of friends and family who have fallen for conspiracy theories," he added.

 - dpa