FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
Prime Minister Edi Rama has continued his clash with protesters, opposing the way in which civic discontent has been presented and linking its spread to the influence of algorithms and disinformation on social networks.
During a conversation with young people in Jalë, Rama stated that the protests have concrete causes that need to be understood, but according to him, they are also accompanied by a wave of manipulation and amplification in the online space, which affects citizens' perception and the escalation of reactions.
He justified his dissatisfaction with the governing system by saying that the virtual world plays a role in how citizens receive information, create perceptions, and react to political and social developments.
"Today we live in a time when the level of attention to what we read, see and discuss has dropped significantly. The mind is much more elsewhere, because a large part of our lives takes place on the phone screen. Nuances are the first victim of any communication and the algorithm has an extremely large role in determining the color of our lives," he said.
The Prime Minister emphasized that he does not consider the algorithm as the cause of the protests, but as a mechanism that, according to him, reinforces them through the spread of negative content.
"I did not say that the algorithm was the reason for the protest. It is indisputable that the protest has reasons related to everyday life and they must be understood. But the algorithm has an extraordinary impact in amplifying noise, negativity and manipulated videos, which add fuel to a fire that was not lit by the algorithm, but by people ," said Rama.
Rama also cast doubt on the influence of other factors in the protests, stating that in addition to the organizers, there are also actors who seek to manipulate civic discontent.
"It is indisputable that every protest carries a message and my task is to understand it. But my task is also to understand the organizers, what is more than what appears and to have a clear picture of the entire spectrum of forces engaged in the protest. Just as the algorithm is not the organizer of the protest, forces hostile or malicious towards Albania are not the fundamental reason why people have come out to protest," the prime minister added.
Following his speech, the head of government brought up the protests over Zvërnec as an example, claiming that they were fueled by misperceptions and disinformation.
"As you may have noticed, the protest started with Zvërnec and today Zvërnec has been forgotten. Because it was soon realized that the reality of the facts was different from what people had perceived through disinformation channels. The reality is not that the government sold the homeland, sold Sazan or sold Zvërnec. It is quite the opposite ," he concluded.
Zvërneci ishte gota që u derdh , por pakënaqësia ndaj pushtetit ishte akumuluar