Not The Onion: Cambridge Scientists Consider Fake News ‘Vaccine’
January 24th, 2017Via: BBC:
The appearance of fake news on websites and social media has inspired scientists to develop a “vaccine” to immunise people against the problem.
A University of Cambridge study devised psychological tools to target fact distortion.
Researchers suggest “pre-emptively exposing” readers to a small “dose” of the misinformation can help organisations cancel out bogus claims.
Stories on the US election and Syria are among those to have caused concern.
“Misinformation can be sticky, spreading and replicating like a virus,” said the University of Cambridge study’s lead author Dr Sander van der Linden.
“The idea is to provide a cognitive repertoire that helps build up resistance to misinformation, so the next time people come across it they are less susceptible.”
