We’ve heard the polarizing narrative, “Either you’re with me or you’re my enemy.” Using this polarizing statement can allow people to fall prey to being manipulated. Today’s guest is Sander van der Linden. Dr. van der Linden is a professor of Social Psychology and Society and the Director of Cambridge Social Decision Making Lab in the Department of Psychology at the University of Cambridge. He is ranked among the top 1% of highly cited social scientists worldwide and has published over 150 research papers. He’s the author of Foolproof: Why Misinformation Infects Our Minds and How to Build Immunity.

Show Notes:

• [1:01] - Sander describes what he does at Cambridge and why we began his work on this topic beginning ten years ago.

• [3:22] - The early days of the internet created an interest for Sander as he saw that anyone could pretend to be someone else.

• [5:01] - What exactly is misinformation?

• [6:29] - Disinformation is the spread of misinformation with harmful or deceitful intent.

• [8:37] - One form of disinformation is click-baited sensational headlines that seem harmless.

• [10:32] - Sander describes some of the key phrases within content that usually indicate mis- or disinformation.

• [13:11] - Even if information is accurate, content can be written manipulatively to evoke emotion, particularly rage. This is misleading.

• [15:01] - Most people don’t want to be a part of a flame war or in an echo chamber but the behavior is common.

• [16:45] - Social media algorithms seem to reward toxic behavior and amplify polarization that already exists.

• [20:31] - People are constantly being bombarded with information.

• [21:47] - Everyone is scattered in their own echo chambers because of fragmented social media.

• [23:49] - What should platforms be doing to help limit the spread of misinformation? What should individual people do to keep themselves safe?

• [26:01] - The brain needs a few experiences before developing a habit.

• [27:50] - Sander explains why most people don’t have the facts to actually defend what they believe to be accurate information.

• [29:56] - Sander has developed games that help users understand misinformation.

• [32:02] - Using the example of climate change and global warming, Sander demonstrates how people can be misled.

• [35:01] - False dichotomies are a real problem and politicians in particular use this strategy.

• [38:50] - The goal is to help others recognize manipulation online, not necessarily to change their mind.

• [41:41] - There are different types of scams and most are disinformation.

• [43:45] - Romance scams use these tactics. How can we inoculate people against this type of information?

• [47:37] - Deradicalization is extremely difficult.

• [49:20] - There’s a benefit to being somewhat skeptical. But how skeptical should you be?

• [52:03] - We want to be able to live our normal lives without fear, but there needs to be a healthy amount of skepticism.

• [55:18] - There are some crossovers between persuasion and manipulation.

• [60:42] - You can play the games Sander described at Inoculation Science.

Thanks for joining us on Easy Prey. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes and leave a nice review. 

Links and Resources:

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• Foolproof: Why Misinformation Infects Our Minds and How to Build Immunity by Sander van der Linden

• Sander van der Linden’s Home Page

• Sander van der Linden on LinkedIn

• Inoculation Science Home Page