This weekend I’m taking a break from the Russian ads. Not only have they been feeling repetitive, but I’ve gone down a couple rabbit holes that I thought were interesting. And, to be honest, who doesn’t like an excuse to play some games?
In an effort to battle misinformation, Dr. Sander van der Linden, director of the Cambridge University Social Decision-Making Lab teamed with co-author Jon Roozenbeek, the Dutch design agency Gusmanson and the media collective DROG to create an interactive website game, BAD NEWS. The object is to find ways to create and disseminate fake news and conspiracy theories. Your score is judged by how many followers you gain in-game. Studies showed that users became 21% better at judging fake news after playing the game. You go through the various levels of impersonating authority, appealing to emotion, polarization, conspiracy, discredit, and trolling. It’s a great way to illustrate from the inside how these posts, stories, and “evidence” are created and used…and who doesn’t love a video game?
The same creators also created a Covid-19 themed version as well.
As this is an open thread, post your scores in the comments to compare with each other. Take care, and be well.