In answer to the difficulties of correcting mistaken beliefs once people have been manipulate , psychologists have turned toonline plot . They hope these will assist as a sort of vaccine against vulgar conformation of misinformation before the great unwashed get infected . A study of participant has provided evidence one game can aid , although whether the issue last is less sure .
Harmony Squareis a little online secret plan where players get the job of “ Chief Disinformation Officer ” and they ’re assigned to countermine local election in a small American town of the same name . Harmony Square has a history of fair but tight contested election direct in a manner befitting a civics lesson , until the thespian wander in and assay to create chaos by spreading conspiracy theories and fix people against each other .
further musician to allow out their inner trolling and undermine democracy might seem like a bad idea – what if some get hold the secret plan so much merriment they take it into the real world ? However , the interior designer hope any such effects will be more than set off by a newly informed electorate , wise to the tricks of election saboteur because they ’ve used the same ones themselves in the biz .
If you ’re seem for cheap artwork or abundant choices , Harmony Square probably is n’t for you . On the other hired hand , IFLScience can confirm it ’s fun if you have a whimsical sense of humour and love punning slogans .
The more important interrogative is whether Harmony Square succeeds as an inoculation against those doing something similar for real , also known as “ pre - bunking ” . " Trying to expose misinformation after it has diffuse is like shutting the barn door after the sawhorse has absquatulate . By pre - bunking , we purpose to barricade the bedcover of phony news program in the first place , ” saidDr Sander van der Linden , from the Cambridge Social Decision - get to lab ( CISA ) , in astatement .
In the wonderfully named journalHarvard Misinformation Review , van der Linden andJon Roozenbeekdescribe take half a sample of 681 people try Harmony Square while the other one-half fiddle Tetris , before exposing both sets to a miscellanea of media designed to mislead or boost battle .
Those who played Harmony Square were more confident in their capacity to discern manipulative media , and it seems that self-confidence had some basis . The writer demonstrate their sample eight deceptive posts they had receive on social media and eight more of their own introduction . Harmony Square ex-serviceman were 16 pct less probable to be befool by either category and 11 percent less probable to habituate social media to pass them on . The latter is especially important because it call forth the opening of a sort of herd granting immunity , with Harmony Square players limiting the scatter of distortions on societal medium .
Moreover , the effects were just about even across the political spectrum , hopefully avoiding making Harmony Square a partisan issue .
Although an impressive outcome for a game some can fill out in 10 moment , the bailiwick did n’t address the interrogation of how long any benefits might last and whether a booster shot might entrench them .
