Launch of the Royal Society’s ‘Online Information Environment’ report

The internet has transformed the way people consume, produce, and disseminate information about the world. This transformation has democratised access to knowledge and driven societal progress. The COVID-19 pandemic exemplifies this, with global researchers collaborating virtually across borders to mitigate harms of the disease and vaccine populations. At the same time, however, it has enabled the low-cost production and proliferation of harmful scientific misinformation. Scientific discussions on issues related to vaccines, 5G, and climate change have all been affected, with some describing the challenge as an ‘infodemic’ and a contributory factor to vaccine hesitancy and physical violence.
In this online information environment, how can we ensure that people are provided with the best quality content to guide important decisions? How has the internet changed the way we consume and produce information? How might discussions about scientific topics be affected?
The UK’s national academy of science, the Royal Society, has been exploring this question with leading scientists, major technology companies, prominent fact-checkers, and others. The findings and recommendations of this work will be published in its report entitled ‘The Online Information Environment: Understanding how the internet shapes people’s engagement with scientific information.’
To mark the launch of the report, the Royal Society invites you to join this online discussion between Professor Gina Neff (Executive Director, Minderoo Centre for Technology and Democracy) and Dr Vint Cerf ForMemRS (Vice President and Chief Internet Evangelist, Google). With opening remarks from the project’s chair, Professor Frank Kelly FRS (Emeritus Professor of Mathematics of Systems, University of Cambridge), the event will outline the key findings and recommendations of the report and delve into the complex challenges which exist in the online information environment.