Online game ‘vaccinates’ users against fake news

London, Feb. 20: Scientists have developed an online game that puts players in the shoes of a propagandist and helps understand the motive behind spreading wrong information - potentially “vaccinating” users against the influence of fake news.

Researchers at the University of Cambridge in the UK have already shown that briefly exposing people to tactics used by fake news producers can act as a “psychological vaccine” against bogus anti-science campaigns.

While the previous study focused on disinformation about climate science, the new online game is an experiment in providing “general immunity” against the wide range of fake news that has infected public debate.

The game encourages players to stoke anger, mistrust and fear in the public by manipulating digital news and social media within the simulation.

Players build audiences for their fake news sites by publishing polarising falsehoods, deploying twitter bots, photo-shopping evidence, and inciting conspiracy theories in the wake of public tragedy all while maintaining a “credibility score” to remain as persuasive as possible.

A pilot study conducted with teenagers used an early paper-and-pen trial of the game, and showed the perceived “reliability” of fake news to be diminished in those that played compared to a control group.

“A biological vaccine administers a small dose of the disease to build immunity,” said Sander van der Linden, Director of Cambridge University's Social Decision-Making Lab.

“Similarly, inoculation theory suggests that exposure to a weak or demystified version of an argument makes it easier to refute when confronted with more persuasive claims,” said Linden.