Researchers at Cambridge University have teamed up with a Dutch media collective to develop an English version of the game aimed at inoculating people against the spread of so-called fake news. The exercise encourages participants, who are tasked with building audiences for their imaginary fake news sites, to stoke fear, anger and mistrust by simulating the manipulation of online content. "We want to help grow 'mental antibodies' that can provide some immunity against the rapid spread of misinformation," she added. The psychological theory behind the effort is called "inoculation". Researchers at Cambridge last year found that briefly exposing people to tactics used by fake news producers can act as a "psychological vaccine" against bogus anti-science campaigns.

Source: The Nation Bangkok February 20, 2018 00:11 UTC