DEBUNK VS. PREBUNK – Misinformation in Singapore and beyond

Following our Decoding X conference, where Rob McPhedran discussed the topic of misinformation, he continues to explore the threat of misinformation and what we can do to combat this in Singapore.

A recent study by Verian in Singapore showcases the promise of psychological inoculation interventions, demonstrating their effectiveness in enhancing individuals' discernment of misinformation. These findings suggest that a multifaceted approach, incorporating policy and communication strategies, remains crucial in the ongoing battle against the spread of misinformation.

The threat of misinformation – from conspiracy theories to deepfake videos

On a balmy July evening in Butler, Pennsylvania, a lone gunman fixed his gaze down the scope of his AR-15 semi-automatic rifle, aiming it at former US president Donald Trump. Moments later, a shot rang out and pandemonium befell the campaign rally site. While the secret service stormed the speaker’s podium, members of the crowd scattered or were rooted to their spot; parents selflessly fell upon their children to protect them from flying bullets. Chaos shrouded the field like a thick fog, and nobody had any sense of just what had transpired.  

Within minutes, there was a similar degree of mayhem online: a mushroom cloud of spurious and conspiratorial debris exploded on social media. Over a month later, this haze of misinformation and disinformation (henceforth ‘misinformation’) still obscures the perspectives of many. Across channels like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Reddit, bipartisan voices decrying ‘false flags’ or claiming ‘deep state’ involvement remain loud. Manipulated – deepfake – videos of the shooter can be easily found.  

Unfortunately, such tragic events appear to be becoming all too frequent.  Likewise, the online fallout that immediately follows such events is becoming a hallmark of our information ecosystem. Helping citizens navigate this ecosystem with acuity is of the utmost importance. To this end, Governments and NGOs globally have increasingly moved to implement interventions to help curb the influence of misinformation.  

What more do we need to do to combat against misinformation in Singapore?

Here in Singapore, the breadth of such interventions is vast, spanning policies (for example, the Protection from Online Falsehood and Manipulation Act) to media literacy programmes such as the National Library Boards’ S.U.R.E. On The Internet. In implementing such a range of interventions, the Singapore Government is ensuring both systemic and individual-level strategies are being adopted, thereby maximizing the chance of population-level behaviour change. Outside of government, NGOs such as better.sg are also contributing to the battle against misinformation, including via their CheckMate WhatsApp chatbot which fact-checks messages sent to individuals on messaging platforms. 

Of course, with the rapid evolution of technology that can be weaponised for misinformation – particularly Generative AI models – it is likely that a concert of interventions will be required. Turning to academic literature, there is early evidence that numerous small interventions can work to increase citizens’ resilience to misinformation.  In a recent mega-study, Fazio and colleagues tested nine misinformation interventions among a sample of over n=30,000 US respondents. The authors found that a variety of interventions – including media literacy and ‘psychological inoculation’ – significantly improved individuals’ ability to determine true vs. false vs. misleading headlines (that is, their ‘discernment’). 

While studies such as this provide promising evidence of the efficacy of interventions, the field of behavioural science has taught us that context is everything. Therefore, for us to be confident that such interventions could work in Singapore, additional country-specific evidence is needed.  

A promising study on 'psychological inoculation’ interventions (henceforth ‘inoculation’ interventions)

In April this year, Verian Singapore conducted a study to test the effectiveness of ‘inoculation’ interventions among Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents. Inoculation interventions work by showing people examples of misinformation and pointing out the manipulation tactics that are being applied to dupe people, or convince them to engage or react. To test this form of intervention, we developed two modalities of inoculation with SuperSolid and Behaviour Change Partners – a carousel banner advertisement and a short video – which could easily be inserted into a pre-emptive mainstream media campaign. We then instructed n=1,000 Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents to scroll through a simulated social media feed, either without intervention (the ‘control group’) or after having seen either form of inoculation at the top of their feed. We found that both forms of intervention proved effective, either by suppressing positive reactions to misinformation or increasing individuals’ discernment.  

While more evidence of efficacy is required, the results of this study are very promising. Newer forms of intervention – e.g., inoculation – will surely soon enter Singapore policymakers’ and communicators’ arsenal of techniques, working alongside a suite of interventions to ensure that citizens are protected from the burgeoning threat of misinformation.  

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