Despite measures implemented by the public, private and people sector towards tackling disinformation, the concerns among the public remains high. This working paper focuses on the various strategies and interventions that have been used to overcome human biases and also their limitations. The paper identifies key human biases which affect how we process information, evaluation and debunking efforts. The paper also presents three approaches, techno-cognitive solutions, effective communication and education as well as a review of recent measures taken on these fronts to counter falsehoods.
Highlights:
- The paper presents the salient measures, their strengths and limitations in overcoming human biases. It underscores the need for a techno-cognitive approach where the information architecture is designed on the principles of the disciplines of psychology and behavioural economics.
- Some of the recommendations in the paper can be applied to currently existing initiatives. For example- targeting specific groups more open to corrective information for debunking false news, increasing public awareness of tools used to debunk, tailoring messages and contextualising for different groups.
- Recommendations for technology companies like Facebook, Google, YouTube and Twitter include content and comment moderation, use of more neutral labels, and collaboration between the companies to create a more consistent intervention mechanism.
- Pertaining to media literacy among online users, the report highlights the need for educators and literacy programme designers to look into content that aims to increase awareness among people of their own personal biases and raise a more vigilant information consumer as the best defence against false information.