The December 28th elections face the challenge of deepfakes: The critical citizen as an antidote to disinformation

The December 28 elections will be an important test for Kosovo society in terms of resistance to audiovisual manipulations generated with artificial intelligence. In previous election campaigns, audiovisual manipulations with artificial intelligence were few or rare, but now deepfakes can be easily produced even in the Albanian language. So, if earlier there was the generation of deepfakes with characters speaking in English, now we have seen that the language limitation is no longer there. 

The deepfakes that recently circulated on social media had some shortcomings, so they were not perfect, yet many citizens commented on them as if those videos were real. But, it must be understood that disinformation does not work because people are ignorant, but it works because they are human. So, they are guided by emotion instead of rationality. They are guided by prejudice, instead of rational reasoning. They are guided by shortcuts due to cognitive overload and this prevents deeper analysis of any information. 

We must work to extend critical judgment in our society that would make people critically analyze every media content they encounter and not be guided by what psychological studies highlight to elaborate the 'why' of falling prey to disinformation. We are talking about concepts such as: Confirmation Bias, since we, as human beings, tend to believe what matches our beliefs; then, Motivated Reasoning, which implies arguing to defend beliefs or narratives that provide emotional comfort, even when they are untrue; and, Cognitive Overload, when we receive too much information that exceeds the brain's capacity to process and, consequently, we encounter difficulties in understanding the information, in analyzing it more deeply. This affects people to choose the shortcut and not burden themselves more, but to evaluate information without thinking and analyzing it longer. When these three concepts are combined, they hinder judgment, interfere with the way of thinking and make the individual susceptible to any kind of manipulation. Therefore, we must turn our focus to the antidote to disinformation, which is critical thinking. But, at the same time, we must be aware that critical thinking is not an automatic reflex, but is a wide range of skills. So, critical thinking goes beyond identifying who is the author of the message and also includes analyzing who benefits from such media content. 

Critical thinking can be effective when the individual is aware of the possibilities that artificial intelligence offers today, for generating audio and video even in the Albanian language. When we understand how a deepfakes is built, then we may be able to deconstruct the same media content. Therefore, we must work hard to extend the critical thinking skills of citizens and their judgment of media content in our society, so that every citizen is prepared to face the information environment that surrounds them with dignity. 

In a study on the dynamics of exposure to disinformation and the reliability of information in Kosovo, expected to be published in the first half of 2026, together with the co-author of this study, British professor Darren Lilleker, we propose that a multi-level solution be implemented, in formal and informal education, with the involvement of various actors of society, political and educational institutions, the media and civil society. “Media education” is the subject that should be included in the teaching curricula taught from primary school onwards and, for this, it is necessary to have a national strategy, a national curriculum and to prepare cadres, teachers of media education, for an effective extension of media education in society. Currently, media education is taught here and there as an elective subject and left to the goodwill of teachers who want to equip students with the knowledge and skills that are considered key, in relation to media, information and technology. In addition to media literacy courses that would equip younger generations with the tools, knowledge, and skills needed to critically evaluate sources and be able to identify manipulation, it is also important for civil society organizations and the media to organize public awareness campaigns, workshops, and training programs for journalists that focus on identifying and countering disinformation. In addition, partnerships between educational institutions, fact-checking organizations, such as Krypometer and Hibrid, and the media, could be a good solution to the existing gap between the practice of fact-checking and the everyday receipt of information. 

Such activities foster a more critical and resistant citizenry towards disinformation, which we cannot completely eliminate, but we can limit its reach and impact through media education and critical thinking. Therefore, it is extremely important that our society has more informed, critical citizens capable of navigating an increasingly complex information world.

By increasing societal resistance to information manipulation with or without the use of artificial intelligence, we directly contribute to strengthening democracy.