Pre-Bunking Climate Change Misinformation
By EarthTalk® From the Editors of E – The Environmental Magazine
— J.D., Albany, NY
Pre-bunking has grown in popularity, especially since the
2020 election. It is a way to combat misinformation by warning people about it
before encountering it online or in real life.
It attempts to anticipate false claims and provide
accurate information to counter them. The strategy comes from a branch of
social psychology research called inoculation theory.
The theory is similar to that of countering vaccination
conspiracies. If you can learn more about a specific topic, you will be more
prepared to think critically about any information regarding said topic.
Despite increasing physical and scientific evidence
proving climate change, misinformation still spreads like wildfire.
Politicians and conspiracy theorists consistently spread false information
online and offline.
While debunking misinformation is a commonly used tool,
it often doesn’t work well enough to combat the issue entirely. You also risk
giving misinformation credibility when you have to debunk it.
Effective Pre-Bunking
Pre-bunking focuses
on targeting broader concepts rather than specific claims. When specific claims
are targeted, it is hard to avoid triggering partisan or emotional reactions.
To successfully utilize pre-bunking, you must first choose which lie to
pre-bunk.
Some misinformation is more dangerous than others, so
choosing the lie that will be most impactful to dispel is essential. One of the
most effective techniques is to create a “truth sandwich.” Lead with the facts
of the matter, then introduce the lie and why someone would lie about it.
Lastly, end the sandwich with another fact.
Here’s an example of a typical claim and how to pre-bunk
it: One claim is that the government was using wildfires as an excuse to increase
climate regulations.
To pre-bunk this claim, it must be explained that this
theory will likely circulate. Second, point out how conspiracy theorists used
the same idea to claim that COVID-19 lockdowns were a government scheme to
prepare people for climate lockdowns, an event that never happened.
Last, show how government agencies often communicate
openly about the reasoning behind climate regulations and how they are utilized
to avoid the maximum damage.
Does Pre-Bunking Really Work?
How effective is pre-bunking really? Enough evidence
supports the use of pre-bunking that Twitter and Google are both embracing the
strategy on their platforms.
At Google, a team of academic psychologists conducted
experiments using 90-second videos to explain common misinformation tactics.
The study found that showing people the videos made them
better at spotting misinformation tactics and less likely to circulate posts
containing these tactics. Giving people the tools to spot and critique content
online is crucial to fighting misinformation. Like anything else, pre-bunking
isn’t a guaranteed solution.
Misinformation isn’t going to just disappear, but unless attempts are made to
combat it, misinformation will only grow stronger.
*EarthTalk® is produced by Roddy Scheer & Doug Moss for the 501(c)3 nonprofit EarthTalk. See more at https://emagazine.com. To donate, visit https://earthtalk.org. Send questions to: question@earthtalk.org.
