Have you ever been online and seen something that made you
angry, anxious, or confused?
Maybe a post from a friend or a stranger?
Or something that left you feeling a little bit worse than
before you saw it?
[[Yes->did you know yes]]
[[No->did you know no]]Researchers have shown that strong emotional responses to posts seen on social media can lead people to share, comment, or like those posts more often.
The more people share, like, and comment on a post, the more it's shown to other people. The more it spreads futher and further.
[[That's interesting.->Interesting]]
[[Doesn't surprise me.->Interesting]]Researchers have shown that strong emotional responses to posts seen on social media can lead people to share, comment, or like those posts more often.
This makes that content more visible to more people, spreading it further and further.
[[That's interesting.->Interesting]]
[[Doesn't surprise me.->Interesting]]It's a sunny Saturday morning and the kids are playing outside. Lauryn pours a cup of coffee and relaxes into her favorite chair, grabs her phone, and checks out social media.
Does she:
[[Open Instagram.->Instagram]]
Or
[[Open Facebook.->Facebook]]She opens Instagram and scrolls casually. Cute dog, cute baby, a friend's poorly shot dinner.
She pauses when she sees a post that Lee, one of the neighbourhood parents, liked.
[[She reads the post.-> IG post]]
She opens Facebook and scrolls casually. Cute dog, cute baby, status update from a friend across the country.
She pauses when she sees Lee, one of the neighbourhood parents, commented on a post.
[[She reads the post.->The post]] <img src="https://lidoncovid19.ca/wp-content/uploads/fb.jpg" width="60%" height="auto">
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Lauryn is pretty well informed. She's pretty sure that vaccines have only recently been approved for children under age twelve. Still... she's feeling a bit agitated after reading the post.
[[Continue.->Thinking]]Lauryn considers posting, but instead pauses for a moment and notices that her jaw is a bit clenched. There's a fluttery feeling in her stomach.
Does she:
[[Take a deep breath.->Check in]]
[[Put down her phone.->Check in]]
[[Remember that misinformation is driven by anger and fear.->Check in]]
Or
[[Decide to comment anyway.->False]]Instead of reacting to the post, Lauryn took a moment to check in with herself. She notices that she's no longer feeling as relaxed.
If there's any truth to the story she knows she'll hear about it from a reputable source. She does her best to shake it off.
Does she:
[[Decide to watch something on Netflix.->Later that day]]
Or
[[Go outside and play with her kids.->Later that day]]Lauryn comments:
(font: "Arial")[//Whoa! This isn't true. Children under 12 are just starting to get the vaccine. There's no way a timeline like that would be imposed.//]
[[Continue->Post shows up 2]]Later that day Lauryn's chatting with her friend Anya. Lauryn brings up the post she saw earlier. Anya's wife is a local doctor and confirms that there isn't any truth to the headline.
Lauryn's glad she didn't waste her time commenting on the post.
[[Continue.->Stopping the spread]]Researchers have found that social media content spreads faster if it makes you fearful or angry.
When we see something online that makes us feel this way, that should be a clue that something is not right.
When we respond by liking, reposting, and even commenting on content that makes us fearful or angry, we risk spreading misinformation. This can cause serious harm to ourselves and our communities.
[[Instead of liking, reposting, or commenting, what should you do?->Learning outcome 2]]After Lauryn comments, her friend Jamie sees the post.
[[Continue->Brother-in-law]]Jamie reads the headline without reading the comment Lauryn made about how it isn't true.
Thinking about kids not being able to go to school gets her fired up.
Jamie decides to start a petition and encourages other concerned parents to call the school to reconsider the vaccine mandate.
She starts a petition, posts about it on social media, and calls a few friends.
[[Continue.->Pay off]]
<img src="https://lidoncovid19.ca/wp-content/uploads/petition.jpg" width="70%" height=70%">
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</div>When Lauryn shared the post, she hoped to inform others that the article was fake.
But when you comment that you know something isn't true, as Lauryn did, you are still giving it more attention. This means more people will see it, and if they don't know its fake they could be misled and push the information further, sometimes with unforeseen consequences.
[[Continue->Learning outcome]] <span class="bigger">
Angry & Anxious: A Game About Misinformation
[[Play->Intro]]
</span>Let's play and see how anger and anxiety spread misinformation.
[[Begin.->Sunny day]]She considers commenting on the post.
What should she do?
[[Go for it.->False]] It's not accurate and these boneheads need some sense talked into them.
Or
[[Ignore it.->Don't post]] It's really not worth her time.When Lauryn decided not to share the post she stopped misinformation from circulating further.
It seems counterintuitive, but if Lauryn had commented that the post wasn't true, it would have spread further, appearing in more people's social media feeds.
Without knowing that anger and fear drive the spread of misinformation, others may have reacted and spread it further as well, meaning more misinformation would continue to circulate, potentially causing harm.
[[Continue.->Learning outcome]]Misinformation feeds on strong emotions, relying on people to spread it further, potentially increasing the harm it can do.
Sometimes it is spread with good intentions, like when we share something that might be false, but do so out of concern for friends or family.
[[Continue.->start]]
If you see something that prompts strong emotions in you:
1. Pause for a moment.
2. Think about how you are feeling.
3. Decide if it's worth responding.
By doing this, you can do your part to prevent the spread of misinformation.
[[Continue.->Learning outcome 3]] Thanks for taking the time to play.
The social media post shown in this game is fictional.
You can find more information about the role emotions play in the spread of misinformation in this article:
Han, J., Cha, M., & Lee, W. (2020). Anger contributes to the spread of COVID-19 misinformation. Harvard Kennedy School Misinformation Review 1(3).
Available at: (link: "https://misinforeview.hks.harvard.edu/article/anger-contributes-to-the-spread-of-covid-19-misinformation/")[(goto-url:'https://misinforeview.hks.harvard.edu/article/anger-contributes-to-the-spread-of-covid-19-misinformation/')]<img src="https://lidoncovid19.ca/wp-content/uploads/insta.jpg" width="60%" height="auto">
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</div>
Lauryn is pretty well informed. She's pretty sure that vaccines have only recently been approved for children under age twelve. Still... she's feeling a bit agitated after reading the post.
[[Continue.->Thinking]]The campaign has some success: A few parents called teachers, the principal, and even the superintendent.
Unfortunately, a couple of people took it too far. A teacher was accosted. Another received a death threat. The principal even took a stress leave.
[[Continue.->Misinfo spreads faster]]