Behavioural Bytes Archives
As Mzansi’s May election draws ever closer and the ballot boxes start shipping out, tackling disinformation before the bandwagon rolls out is vital.
Disinformation is the deliberate spreading of false information to sway public opinion and sow discord. Just as unconscious bias can influence our everyday choices (read Unmasking Our Biases) they also make us susceptible to disinformation campaigns.
Disinformation capitalises on our cognitive quirks, exploiting biases like:
Confirmation bias
We favour info that confirms our beliefs, ignoring contradictory evidence. Social media amplifies this by reinforcing our viewpoints in echo chambers.
Authority bias
We trust sources seen as authoritative, like people with titles or content on reputable platforms. Disinformation campaigns mimic legitimate sources or use fake expert endorsements to deceive.
Bandwagon effect
We're influenced by the majority. Fabricated social media trends and fake endorsements create a false sense of widespread support, swaying us along with public opinion.
The 2024 SA election presents an opportunity to test these strategies. By understanding the behavioural science of disinformation and adopting these strategies we can build a more informed electorate and resilient democracy.
Behavioural science offers tools to counter these biases and create a more critical approach to information:
Inoculation theory
By exposing ourselves to weaker versions of misleading tactics, like seeing false arguments and their rebuttals, we can build up our ‘mental antibodies’ against future manipulations.
Fact checking with friction
Adding a small obstacle, like needing to click a link to see the truth, makes fact checking more effective than just showing corrections.
Promoting lateral thinking
Encouraging people to seek diverse perspectives and question information sources empowers. Social media can help by promoting diverse viewpoints and tools to verify user-generated content.
Harnessing social norms
Highlighting the prevalence of disinformation and stressing the importance of critical thinking can normalise responsible information consumption.
Individually
We can practise media literacy, fact-check information and avoid sharing content from suspicious sources.
Collectively
We can push social media platforms for greater transparency and hold them accountable for challenging disinformation campaigns. Governments can invest in media literacy education and enact regulations to deter the spread of malicious content.
The 2024 SA election presents an opportunity to test these strategies. By understanding the behavioural science of disinformation and adopting these strategies we can build a more informed electorate and resilient democracy.
Let's ensure a South African 2024 election free from manipulation and fuelled by informed participation.
