Headway Upper-Intermediate 5th Edition I Unit 4 Bad News |

Summary

This video discusses the pervasive issue of fake news and disinformation, exploring why people continue to engage with unverified content. John Rosenberg, a PhD candidate at Cambridge University, suggests four solutions: legislation, algorithmic adjustments, fact-checking, and media literacy education. He also introduces the inoculation theory, proposing an interactive game that teaches players to create disinformation, thereby building resistance to it. The game aims to make individuals more discerning consumers of online information.

Takeaways

• 📰 The prevalence of fake news and disinformation on social media is a significant concern, often leading to a cycle of misinformation that extends into mainstream media.
• 🌐 Social media platforms play a crucial role in the spread of fake news, as they use algorithms to determine the content users see based on their preferences.
• 🤔 The terms 'fake news' and 'disinformation' are not universally defined, with 'disinformation' implying a more deliberate intent to deceive compared to 'misinformation', which can be unintentional.
• 📉 Legislation is one proposed solution to curb disinformation, but it risks infringing on freedom of the press and censorship issues.
• 🔍 Algorithmic fixes involve adjusting social media algorithms to reduce the visibility of fake news, yet this could lead to concerns about media manipulation and control over information.
• 📋 Fact-checking initiatives aim to correct false information, but they are often outpaced by the ease of creating and spreading lies.
• 🏫 Media literacy and education are seen as effective long-term solutions to equip individuals with the skills to identify and resist disinformation.
• 💡 Inoculation theory suggests that preemptively exposing individuals to disinformation tactics can help build resistance, similar to how vaccines work against diseases.
• 🎮 A proposed method to implement inoculation theory is through games that simulate the creation and spread of disinformation, teaching players to recognize these tactics.
• 🛡️ The goal of such games is to make players think critically about the strategies used in disinformation, thereby building 'antibodies' against it, so they are less likely to be deceived in real life.

Q & A

What is the main issue discussed in the transcript?

The main issue discussed is the prevalence of fake news and disinformation in social media feeds and its impact on society, including how it infiltrates mainstream media.

Why does the speaker prefer the term 'disinformation' over 'fake news'?

The speaker prefers 'disinformation' because it is a clearer term that specifically includes the intent to deceive, unlike 'fake news' which is used in various contexts and doesn't always imply intentional deception.

What are the four possible solutions John proposes to stop the flow of disinformation?

The four solutions proposed are: legislation, algorithmic fixes, fact-checking, and education or media literacy.

What is the potential downside of using legislation to combat disinformation?

The downside of legislation is that it may infringe upon freedom of the press, which is the principle that the government should not interfere with or censor the media.

How do social media algorithms contribute to the spread of fake news, and what is a potential solution?

Social media algorithms choose what information to present to users based on their preferences, which can lead to the spread of fake news. A potential solution is tweaking the algorithms to make fake news less visible.

What is the challenge with fact-checking as a method to combat disinformation?

Fact-checking faces the challenge of always being behind in the cycle because it is much harder to verify information than it is to create and spread false content.

How does the concept of media literacy differ from the other solutions proposed?

Media literacy focuses on individual resilience against disinformation by educating people, which can be very effective but is also expensive and difficult to implement widely.

What is the inoculation theory and how does it relate to disinformation?

Inoculation theory suggests that, like a vaccine, people can develop resistance to misleading information by preemptively thinking about how they might be deceived.

How does playing a game relate to the inoculation theory proposed by John?

Playing a game where players create disinformation helps them understand and resist deceptive strategies by actively engaging with the tactics used to spread misinformation.

What is the ultimate goal of the game mentioned in the transcript?

The goal of the game is to help players build up 'antibodies' against disinformation by recognizing and understanding the strategies used in fake news, so they think before sharing online content.

Outlines

00:00

📰 The Pervasiveness of Fake News and Disinformation

This paragraph discusses the ubiquity of fake news in our social media feeds and its impact on mainstream media. It highlights the difficulty in defining 'fake news' due to its varied usage and contexts. The speaker, John Rosenberg, a PhD candidate at Cambridge University, prefers the term 'disinformation' to emphasize the intentional deception. He outlines four potential solutions: legislation, algorithmic fixes, fact-checking, and education or media literacy. Each solution comes with its own set of challenges, such as infringing on freedom of the press or the high cost of implementation.

05:01

💉 Inoculation Theory as a Defense Against Disinformation

The second paragraph introduces the inoculation theory as a method to protect individuals from disinformation. It draws an analogy between misinformation and a virus, suggesting that preemptive exposure to misleading information can help build resistance. The paragraph describes a game-based approach where players must create and disseminate disinformation to win, learning the tactics used by those who spread fake news. This active engagement is believed to be more effective than passive education, as it trains players to recognize and resist disinformation in real life.

Keywords

💡Fake News

Fake news refers to false or misleading information presented as news, often with the intent to deceive. In the video, it is discussed as a pervasive issue in social media feeds that can escalate into mainstream media, contributing to a cycle of misinformation. The term is noted for its varied interpretations and usages, which can lead to ambiguity.

💡Disinformation

Disinformation is a more specific term than fake news, referring to the deliberate spread of false information with the intent to deceive. It is used by the speaker, John Rosenberg, as a preferred term to distinguish it from simple misinformation, which may arise from honest errors. The video emphasizes the malicious intent behind disinformation.

💡Misinformation

Misinformation in the video is defined as false information that is spread without the intent to deceive. It could be the result of human error, such as a mistake made by an individual and then published online. It is contrasted with disinformation to highlight the difference between accidental and purposeful spreading of false information.

💡Social Media Algorithms

Social media algorithms are the programming codes that decide what content is shown to users based on their likes and shares. The video discusses how these algorithms can be manipulated to reduce the visibility of fake news, although it also raises concerns about potential censorship by social media platforms.

💡Fact Checking

Fact checking is the process of verifying the accuracy of information, which the video suggests as a method to combat disinformation. However, it is noted that fact checking can be a challenging and reactive approach, as it is often easier to spread a lie than to correct it.

💡Media Literacy

Media literacy is the ability to critically evaluate and create media content. In the context of the video, it is presented as a solution to educate individuals on how to be more resilient against disinformation, although it is acknowledged that implementing such education can be expensive and challenging.

💡Freedom of the Press

Freedom of the press is a principle that prevents government interference or censorship of the media. The video discusses the potential conflict between regulating fake news through legislation and upholding this fundamental freedom.

💡Inoculation Theory

Inoculation theory, as presented in the video, is a concept borrowed from medical science, suggesting that people can develop resistance to misleading information. The video proposes that by preemptively considering how one might be deceived, individuals can build 'antibodies' against disinformation.

💡Game-based Learning

Game-based learning is an educational method that uses games to teach skills or knowledge. The video describes a game where players must create disinformation to gain followers and credibility, which serves as a practical way to understand and resist disinformation tactics.

💡Credibility

Credibility in the video refers to the trustworthiness of information or sources. It is a key metric in the game mentioned, where players must balance gaining followers with maintaining credibility, reflecting the real-world challenge of discerning reliable from unreliable sources.

Highlights

Fake news and disinformation are prevalent in social media feeds.

Fake news can infiltrate mainstream media after being shared on social platforms.

The importance of research in identifying and combating fake news is emphasized.

Disinformation is distinguished from misinformation by the intent to deceive.

Legislation is proposed as a solution to regulate the flow of information.

Algorithmic fixes are suggested to make fake news less visible on social media.

Fact-checking is highlighted as a necessary but challenging approach.

Media literacy education is presented as a way to make individuals more resilient against disinformation.

Inoculation theory is introduced as a method to build resistance to fake news.

The concept of 'vaccinating' against disinformation through preemptive exposure is discussed.

Playing a game that involves creating disinformation can help in building resistance.

The game mechanics involve balancing followers and credibility to simulate disinformation tactics.

The game aims to teach players to recognize disinformation strategies by creating them.

The goal is to develop 'antibodies' against fake news through the game.

The game is proposed as an engaging way to educate on the dangers of disinformation.

Transcripts

[Music]

it seems these days we can't escape fake

news

we all know that our social media feeds

are full of news articles and stories

that are biased exaggerated or just

plain fabricated

so how come so many of us continue to

consume and share content without

questioning its credibility

these stories may start on facebook or

twitter but once we share them they

eventually work their way into articles

in the mainstream media

and these articles are then shared again

on social media

and so the endless cycle continues

is there a way that this flood of fake

news can be stopped

or can we all become better at

identifying and simply ignoring it

in recent years these questions have

become an important field of research

my name is john rosenberg i'm a phd

candidate at cambridge university and i

mainly study fake news and

disinformation

fake news is a is a difficult term

because everyone is using it and it's

used in a lot of different contexts and

by a lot of different people with a lot

of different agendas and ideas and

political convictions and so on

and it doesn't mean the same thing when

two different people say it so that is

why i just myself prefer the term

disinformation which is much more clear

misinformation is information that is

false and that includes simple human

error if i make a mistake and i say

something that is incorrect i publish it

somewhere online that is what i would

call

misinformation disinformation includes

the intent to deceive so i must actually

want to give you

wrong information for it to be

disinformation

so are there things that can be done to

stop the flow of disinformation

john believes that there are four

possible solutions

the first is legislation so trying to

write laws that regulate the flow of

information in such a way

that fake news becomes less prevalent

the downside of this is of course that

you run into issues of freedom of the

press very quickly

freedom of the press is the principle

that government shouldn't interfere with

or censor the media

the second one is algorithmic fixes

all social media sites use algorithms

to choose the information they present

to their users

this is the programming code that

decides what content to show you

based on what you like and share

so

for example on facebook

you will

see certain posts before other posts and

facebook can decide which post you see

first

so in that way you can

have facebook tweak the algorithm in

such a way that fake news becomes less

visible

downside of course is that facebook then

decides what it wants you to see which

is not great

the third category is fact checking

meaning correcting false stories

which is a good initiative and for sure

that is something that needs to be done

the problem is that you're always going

to be behind simply because it is much

harder to fact check something than it

is to create and spread a lie

and the fourth category is education or

what you call media literacy which

focuses on the individual level

meaning making people more resilient

against deception against manipulation

against disinformation

the upside is that this has a potential

of being very effective

and you don't run into issues of freedom

of the press the downside is that it's

very expensive and that is difficult to

implement in many countries

[Music]

if it is so difficult to stop the flow

of disinformation and fake news

is there a way we can protect ourselves

from becoming infected with it

john believes that inoculation theory

could offer a potential solution

the idea behind inoculation theory is

that information can work in the same

way as a virus or a bacterium

so

assuming that

information misleading information can

be akin to some kind of infection

how do you make sure that people don't

become ill

and normally in medicine that happens

through a vaccine so vaccine is a

weakened version of a certain virus or a

certain bacterium

that is introduced into the body and

it doesn't have the power to kill you or

hurt you or make you ill but it does

make sure that the body creates

antibodies against

that virus so that the next time that

the virus actually enters your body the

real version of it you already have the

antibodies and you don't become ill

and inoculation theory says

information can work the same way

so

you can be

you can

develop resistance against misleading

arguments by preemptively before the

manipulation attempt occurs thinking

about the ways in which you might be

deceived

and what's a simple way to vaccinate

people

get them to play a fun game

a game where they have to create

disinformation

in the game players are shown a short

text or an image like an article

headline

they can react to these in a variety of

ways

the player's score is measured by

followers and credibility

the aim of the game is to gather as many

followers as possible without losing

credibility

but the important thing is that if a

player acts like a producer of

disinformation

they will gain followers

and credibility

[Music]

but if they lie too obviously

they will lose credibility

and if they act like a good journalist

reporting just the facts

they will lose followers

so the player has to learn to use all

the tricks of effective producers of

disinformation to succeed in the game

so it's this active component is very

important so it's not just that someone

tells you

this is how you might be deceived this

is what fake news looks like instead you

create it yourself you think about it

yourself how you can

um

use these strategies

to you know forward your own interests

in the game

which

is a much more resilient approach to

training how to recognize these things

and then just me telling you something

john's hope is that by the end of the

game the player will have received a

small dose of the fake news disease

and they will be starting to build up

antibodies

so the next time they are online

they will recognize the disinformation

strategies being used on them

and think before they share

so why not play the game and vaccinate

yourself today