'Trolls can be ignored, but disinformation exists everywhere'

The e4m India PR and Corporate Communication Conference (IPRCCC 2023), held in June, saw an enviable collective of communications and PR heads

The panel ‘Truth in the Time of Trolls: Building Trust and Transparency in a Time of Disinformation’ featured Akanksha Jain, Head- Public Relations and Corporate Communications, BharatPe; Aman Dhall, Founder, Commscredible; Manika Mittal, Group Head, Communications and PR, Balancehero India; Geetika Bangia, Head-PR & Corporate Communications, Stryker; and Aanchal Jain, Director- Corporate Affairs, Mars Petcare India, with Garima Sharma Nijhawan, Founder, Oathenticity, serving as session chair.

Getting straight to the point, Nijhawan began the conversation by pointing out how the idea of trolls has evolved with the increasing digitization of content and media, even as there is a barrage of misinformation that is being disseminated every single day, with the two concepts often being conflated. She therefore asked the panelists how they differentiated between trolls and disinformation and their impacts on brand reputations from a communications and PR perspective.

Appreciating the topic of the panel given the ubiquity of trolls and disinformation in the media landscape, Dhall said, “I’ve said this earlier, but trolls should just be ignored; they’re trolls. But disinformation exists everywhere, offline, in the real world. Just look at the elections which recently concluded, where everyone wrote off the Opposition’s chances. And that was completely wrong. So the real world is different.”

He added that consumers in India are getting more educated, and information literate, and while they may find trolls funny and follow them for entertainment, they are usually aware of what’s happening on the ground, and what’s real and what’s not.

Speaking in her turn, Akansksha Jain pointed to the recent example of a cricketer, who had been trolled for a variety of reasons, but then when he played well during a match, everyone then forgot about it. “I think trolls are not that damaging, but as a brand you have to keep a check that things don’t go out of hand.”

“If it is both trolling and disinformation, then you need to take action, and there are enough examples of brands having been damaged by a combination of the two. Trolls will die their own death soon enough, but with disinformation, and the advent of AI and Deep Fakes, there is a lot more to be concerned about,” she added.

When it came to Mittal, she said that while trolls and disinformation are concerns, there is also the issue of misinformation, and it’s important to be aware of the differences between the three. “All three have a similar nature, but the intent behind each is very important, especially for us in the communications field. So the purpose and intent help us define what route to take, because at the end of the day it is our responsibility as experts in communication.

“Disinformation and trolls have intent behind them, but misinformation could be done by mistake and with no ill intent. That’s why, while disinformation can be more easily dealt with thanks to the tools on Google and other platforms, misinformation is something that we ourselves need to guard against,” said Mittal.

 Commenting on future strategies for dealing with these issues, especially with the advent of AI and other emerging tech, Bangia put forward three big points across the table. “First, we need to be absolutely clear about what we ourselves are saying; the more transparent and clear we are about what we are saying, it only adds to your credibility, whether you are a brand, freelancer, or individual.”

“Secondly, be very very consistent. The moment you break your communication with your customers, and skepticism creeps in. People start thinking and speculating that the other party is trying to conceal something. Third of all, have absolutely authentic, fact-checked information. The more that information has been validated at the back-end and then clearly communicated, the more trust is built in you for your consumers and audiences, and that goes a long way,” she added.

Before she went into the mediums that these steps could be followed in, Aanchal Jain said that it was important to note that in many ways, trolling had become synonymous with talking. And while people are aware of the difference, trolling still manages to take in a lot of others, who confuse what is being said with reality.”

Coming to examples of different media, she said, “I’ve had the opportunity to work with a lot of different segments. And for example, something very interesting I’ve seen with a brand like Amazon India, which is part of a global e-commerce giant that is seen to be taking away business from the kirana stores of the world, and so faces a lot of ire from the government, small retailers, and even customers and so are victim to a lot of disinformation and trolling. And how they’ve dealt with it is the Amazon India blog, on which they have all the correct information and facts. It’s not just a directory, but has a lot of stories. So a lot of myth-busting needs to be done by brands across the board, and things like blogs, consumer feedback and other avenues can really help.”