The game is called Bad News. It lets players create a dummy social media account and then shows them how easy it is to gain attention online using 6 common disinformation techniques. The creators tested the game on 516 Swedish secondary-school students. Bad News made players better at spotting manipulative techniques in social media posts and sharper at distinguishing between real and fake news.
This new computer game, called Bad News, lets players create a dummy social media account and experience firsthand how easy it is to gain attention online using deceptive tactics. Players experiment with 6 common disinformation techniques:
Polarizing debate tactics
Impersonating a credible news source
Conspiracy theories
Discrediting opponents
Trolling
Emotional appeals
Study validates "prebunking" approach to fake news
Researchers testing Bad News on students saw positive results. Players improved at spotting manipulation and fake news. Interestingly, students who trusted reliable sources were even better at identifying misinformation.
This highlights the growing importance of "prebunking" – learning to recognize fake news tactics before encountering them. Another study showed people struggle to identify online bots, raising concerns about disinformation's impact, especially with upcoming elections.
Building digital resilience
To combat this growing threat, the World Economic Forum's Global Coalition for Digital Safety is working to build media and information literacy. Their Digital Trust Initiative works with leaders to ensure that trust remains a priority when developing new technologies.
