At the lecture held at the Faculty of Economics on the occasion of the World Science Day for Peace and Development, the general director of Eurostat, Marijana Kotzeva, talked about the contemporary challenges faced by official statistics in the digital age marked by rapid technological progress and ubiquitous misinformation. (Photo gallery)

The lecture entitled "The role of reliable information in a society driven by technology and characterized by misinformation" emphasized the importance of trust in official statistics and transparency in the dissemination of information in the modern environment.

Prof. Dr. Vesna Karadžić, head of the Department of Quantitative Economics, addressed the audience and expressed her pleasure to be able to announce a lecture by the director of Eurostat, Dr. Marijana Mihajlova Kotzeva. In the opening address, prof. Karadzic emphasized the importance of technology in modern society and its double impact on progress and challenges, such as disinformation. She referred to Schumpeter's idea of ​​"creative destruction", which through innovation contributes to economic development and a better quality of life, but she also emphasized the need for critical evaluation of information in order to successfully face the challenges brought by the digital age. "Digital technology and the development of social networks have enabled the spread of misinformation that leads to a weakening of trust in society. This raises the question of what makes society vulnerable to misinformation or, on the other hand, resistant to it."

During the lecture to the students, Eurostat pointed out that data from official statistics are becoming available to the general public through specialized data platforms and search systems powered by artificial intelligence. This development enables easier access to information and contributes to the development of the concept of open data, which is in line with global trends in digitization. However, the speed with which these technologies are developing also poses new challenges for official statistics, especially in terms of ensuring user trust and preventing misuse of information," said Kotzeva.

Official statistics have a responsibility to lay the foundation for reliable information through their approach and transparency that will enable users to distinguish accurate from inaccurate sources. Finally, Kotzeva stressed that strengthening trust and awareness of the importance of official statistics is crucial for a successful fight against disinformation in modern society.

Before the start of lectures at the Faculty of Economics, a meeting was held with the dean, prof. Mijat Jocović, Ph.D., and Tamara Backović, Ph.D., Assistant Dean for International Cooperation, during which they discussed the possibilities for further cooperation between the Faculty of Economics and Eurostat. Miroslav Pejović, director of the Directorate of Statistics, also attended the meeting.