12.05.2026|
This statement shouldn’t be taken personally, as you can probably imagine. It’s actually a play on the catch phrase “It’s the economy, stupid”, which went down in history in 1992. The casual statement uttered by James Carville, a strategist on Bill Clinton’s campaign team, underscores the economy’s political significance to the American people at that time and helped Clinton win the election.
The economy’s importance hasn’t diminished since then. At the same time, however, the rise of the Internet, mobile devices and the growing presence of artificial intelligence in our day-to-day lives have brought about an exponential increase in both the sheer volume of information and its importance. Information itself has become a key economic factor. That makes the adapted version of Carville’s catch phrase perfectly suited to the information age.
Abundance of information, lack of truthfulness
Our world is flooded with an almost infinite amount of information on a daily basis. More and more people are turning away from traditional media, however, and instead seeking out information via social media or chat groups. There, emotions and personal beliefs often matter more than facts. What counts is how well something resonates with your own target audience and the number of clicks it generates. At the same time, AI-generated content is spreading disinformation and conspiracy theories with growing speed. This poses a serious threat not just to trust in science and the media, but to democracy itself.
Post-truth on the rise
Truth is becoming politicised at the same time. Facts are being subordinated to personal political agendas and used as a means to an end. Factual discussions are being replaced by populist rhetoric, while information overload is making it easier to spread half-truths and lies. Traditional media are deliberately being weakened or bought up by billionaires dictating public opinion. All you have to do is glance across the Atlantic to see this development play out in real time. “Truth Social”, the social media network founded by one of history’s most notorious liars, is emblematic of this.
And how do things look in Switzerland?
The situation in Switzerland is less dramatic thanks to the country’s good education system, public services and the still relatively diverse journalism ecosystem. Yet disconcerting trends exist in this country, as well, including the deliberate weakening of public service media and the growing number of people experiencing news fatigue and turning their backs on serious media. Targeted media promotion and easy access to good information based on truthfulness, transparency and fairness are effective means of countering this trend. These approaches strengthen resilience against disinformation and facilitate the informed and fact-based discourse that is so central to our system of direct democracy.
«It’s the information, stupid»
This statement shouldn’t be taken personally, as you can probably imagine. It’s actually a play on the catch phrase “It’s the economy, stupid”, which went down in history in 1992. The casual statement uttered by James Carville, a strategist on Bill Clinton’s campaign team, underscores the economy’s political significance to the American people at that time and helped Clinton win the election.
The economy’s importance hasn’t diminished since then. At the same time, however, the rise of the Internet, mobile devices and the growing presence of artificial intelligence in our day-to-day lives have brought about an exponential increase in both the sheer volume of information and its importance. Information itself has become a key economic factor. That makes the adapted version of Carville’s catch phrase perfectly suited to the information age.
Abundance of information, lack of truthfulness
Our world is flooded with an almost infinite amount of information on a daily basis. More and more people are turning away from traditional media, however, and instead seeking out information via social media or chat groups. There, emotions and personal beliefs often matter more than facts. What counts is how well something resonates with your own target audience and the number of clicks it generates. At the same time, AI-generated content is spreading disinformation and conspiracy theories with growing speed. This poses a serious threat not just to trust in science and the media, but to democracy itself.
Post-truth on the rise
Truth is becoming politicised at the same time. Facts are being subordinated to personal political agendas and used as a means to an end. Factual discussions are being replaced by populist rhetoric, while information overload is making it easier to spread half-truths and lies. Traditional media are deliberately being weakened or bought up by billionaires dictating public opinion. All you have to do is glance across the Atlantic to see this development play out in real time. “Truth Social”, the social media network founded by one of history’s most notorious liars, is emblematic of this.
And how do things look in Switzerland?
The situation in Switzerland is less dramatic thanks to the country’s good education system, public services and the still relatively diverse journalism ecosystem. Yet disconcerting trends exist in this country, as well, including the deliberate weakening of public service media and the growing number of people experiencing news fatigue and turning their backs on serious media. Targeted media promotion and easy access to good information based on truthfulness, transparency and fairness are effective means of countering this trend. These approaches strengthen resilience against disinformation and facilitate the informed and fact-based discourse that is so central to our system of direct democracy.
About the author
Fabian prefers sourcing his information from established private and public service media outlets. For fact checks, he relies on relevant portals and the swarm intelligence of Wikipedia.