… A biological virus is a parasite that attaches itself to the surface of a host cell. It will then inject its own genetic material into the host, hijacking the host cell’s machinery with the goal of reproducing itself.
In a very similar way, misinformation, conspiracy theories, and other dangerous ideas, latch on to the brain and insert themselves deep into our consciousness; they infiltrate our thoughts, feelings, and even our memories. Misinformation can fundamentally alter the way we act and think about the world. The misinformation virus hijacks parts of our basic cognitive machinery. …
Creating a vaccine requires understanding the structure of a virus, the chemicals that encode its genetic information (such as DNA and RNA). Accordingly, my research group has tried to uncover the key techniques that underpin the production of nearly all fake news, establishing a taxonomy of what we call the ‘Six Degrees of Manipulation’: polarizing groups in society; appealing to emotions to manipulate people; floating conspiracy theories; impersonating fake experts and official organisations; and trolling people and online conversations. CONTINUED
Sander van der Linden, University of Cambridge
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