Library:Foolproof
| Foolproof | |
|---|---|
| Author | Sander van der Linden |
| First published | 2023 |
| ISBN | 978-0-393-88144-8 unverified |
| Role | Analysis |
| Domains | Technology & Media Health & Medicine |
| Tactics | Propaganda Technique Manipulation |
Foolproof is a 2023 book by Sander van der Linden.
Summary
Sander van der Linden, a professor of social psychology at the University of Cambridge, explains how misinformation spreads and how people can be protected against it. The book's subtitle in its US edition is Why Misinformation Infects Our Minds and How to Build Immunity.
The virus metaphor
Van der Linden compares misinformation to a virus that spreads from person to person and can be modeled using tools from epidemiology. He reviews research on why people are susceptible, including the role of repetition, identity and emotion.
Prebunking
The book's central idea is psychological inoculation, or "prebunking": exposing people in advance to weakened examples of manipulation techniques, so they can recognize them later. Van der Linden describes games his team helped create, such as Bad News, in which players take the role of a misinformation producer, and research on short videos tested with millions of users.
Techniques
He identifies common manipulation techniques, including impersonation, emotional language, polarization, conspiracy narratives, discrediting opponents and trolling.
Relevance to Bullshitopedia
The book offers an evidence-based framework for recognizing manipulation, closely matching Bullshitopedia's lessons-for-readers approach. Its list of techniques maps onto many tactics in the site's taxonomy.
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- Library:The Misinformation Age