Thread by @CecilieTraberg

🚨Our new review paper 🚨 (with @roozenbot & @Sander_vdLinden) of #inoculationtheory applied to tackling #misinformation is out in the special issue “Threats to #Science” in the ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science!

🧵See 7 major points + link below:

🧵No, #fact-checking or #debunking is NOT enough to combat online misinformation - #fakenews can continue to influence reasoning and beliefs, even after it has been retracted/corrected. (1/7)

🧵Originating in the 60’s as a “vaccine for brainwash”, inoculation theory offers a logical basis for developing a psychological “#vaccine” against misinformation. (2/7)

🧵How? The theory proposes that just like people can be immunized against viral contagions by being exposed to a weakened dose of a virus, we can “immunize” people against misinformation by exposing them to “weak doses” of persuasive attacks (and refuting those attacks). (3/7)

🧵We summarise the most up-to-date lab + field studies, including #interventions conducted with governments and #SoMe companies that show the promising effects of such treatments.

Below reprinted with permission from @RakoenMaertens et al. (2020). (4/7)

🧵This #review highlights the clear potential of inoculation theory as a tool to counter misinformation: by globally providing #news consumers with an opportunity to “vaccinate” themselves against misinformation tactics through psychological game-based training. (5/7)

🧵But! Misinformation exposure takes places within a social environment, and #sources and social cues may influence likelihood of #persuasion (see Traberg & van der Linden, 2022). (6/7)

🧵Therefore, investigating the factors that can increase (or potentially limit) the effects of inoculation interventions on #socialmedia represents a crucial next step for #research. (7/7)

Link to article: doi.org/10.1177/000271…