Game helps players spot ‘fake news’ on @BBCNews … Please
retweet https://t.co/h38LMZ18cE pic.twitter.com/gjZOC84No2— Will Corry (@slievemore) February 22, 2018
A game designed to help people understand how fake news and conspiracy theories spread online has been created at the University of Cambridge.
Bad News
lets players build a social media following by choosing inflammatory headlines and images to share with their imaginary fans.
Players earn achievements for impersonating celebrities and spreading misinformation.
The creators say they want the game to be a “vaccine” against fake news.
“These techniques are out there, they are being used by real people,” Dr Sander van der Linden, director of the University of Cambridge Social Decision-Making Laboratory, told the BBC.
“What we’re trying to do is demystify and illuminate what these techniques are, how to spot them, how to recognise them, and not be influenced by them.”