Resilience against the maladies of the Digital Age: Disinformation and Self-harm

Suicidal thoughts and behaviors remain among the most pressing challenges in mental health worldwide. As clinical psychology advances, so too does the role of digital spaces in shaping how individuals experience, express, and cope with distress. 

This talk bridges the clinical and digital landscapes by exploring resilience, from the personal capacity to navigate suicidal crises to the societal responsibility of safe and constructive public discourse. Drawing on clinical research, psychotherapy practice, and innovations in eMental Health, I will highlight protective psychological factors such as self-efficacy, locus of control, and adaptive coping. 

At the same time, I will discuss how online communities, media narratives, and digital interventions can either amplify risk or support recovery. By integrating evidence-based strategies with real-world considerations of media responsibility, the talk underscores how resilience can be cultivated both within individuals and across public conversations. 

Ultimately, safeguarding well-being requires attention not only to the inner workings of the mind but also to the environments, both digital and interpersonal, where meaning and connection are created.

Disinformation has evolved into a sophisticated global industry, weaponized by both state and non-state actors to destabilize societies and advance geopolitical agendas. From troll farms to algorithmic amplification and inauthentic behaviour online, foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI) operations exploit societal vulnerabilities, amplify existing polarization, and erode trust in elections and democratic institutions. 

These campaigns are not isolated episodes but part of a broader landscape of hybrid threats where information warfare complements military, economic, and diplomatic pressure. Building resilience requires a multi-layered approach: at the national level, initiatives like France’s watchdog VIGINUM strengthen detection and deterrence; at the societal level, platforms' responsibility, civic engagement, and media literacy act as protective layers; and at the individual level, cognitive inoculation and prebunking interventions equip citizens to resist manipulation. 

This talk will explore how resilience, conceptualised as both a collective defense and a personal skill, can fortify democracies against the evolving geopolitics of disinformation.