Based on studies conducted by psychologists at two British universities, Google’s Jigsaw subsidiary will start a campaign the next week to combat misinformation about Ukrainian refugees in Poland, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic.
The psychologists from Bristol and Cambridge universities collaborated with Jigsaw to create 90-second videos that serve as a “inoculation” against hazardous social media content.
The videos, which will broadcast in commercial spots on Google’s YouTube video network, are meant to teach viewers how to spot emotional blackmail and victimization in news headlines.
According to Jon Roozenbeek, main author of a study on the research that informed the campaign, “If you tell people what’s real and untrue, a lot of people will debate… but what you can foresee are the strategies that would be utilized in spreading misinformation, such with the Ukrainian crisis.”
Seven trials were included in the research, one of which involved a sample of American adults over the age of 18 who regularly monitor political news on YouTube. A vaccination film was sent to roughly 5.4 million American YouTube users by Jigsaw, and approximately a million of them watched it for at least 30 seconds.
In collaboration with local non-government organizations, fact-checkers, academics, and disinformation specialists, the initiative aims to increase resistance to anti-refugee propaganda.
The dissemination of false and misleading information through social media networks in Europe and the United States has prompted several governments to advocate for new legislation to stop misinformation efforts.
According to Beth Goldberg, head of research at Jigsaw, “we are thinking of this as a pilot experiment, so there’s absolutely no reason that this technique couldn’t be scaled to other countries.”
Poland was picked because it hosts the greatest number of Ukrainian refugees, she explained, adding that Slovakia and the Czech Republic will serve as helpful indicators for the rest of Europe.
One month will pass during the campaign.
