In 2019, an unusual and shocking incident in Ketereh , a town on the peninsula of Malaysia, grabbed international headlines. Nearly 40 girls aged 12-18 from a religious institution were screaming uncontrollably. They claimed to have seen “a face of pure evil” complete with blood and gore.
Experts believe the girls were suffering from a mass psychological illness. This is a mental condition that causes physical symptoms, and can spread socially like a viral infection.
I am a social scientist in the field of public healthcare. I examine the influence of social networks and prevailing norms on individual behavior across a range of contexts and behaviors. My work includes figuring out ways to counter the spread of harmful information that can influence our behavior in the worst way, like misinformation.
It is not a misinformation but it does give me an idea of how misinformation spreads. Social connections can create pathways of influence which facilitate the spread mental illness, germs and even behavior. Social networks can have a profound impact on us, whether for good or bad.
Spread of social norms
Social norms are perceived by researchers in my field as the level of acceptance and commonality of a certain behavior within a network of people that matter to us.
This perception may not reflect reality. For example, people can overestimate or underestimate how popular a particular viewpoint is in a group. They can still influence our behaviour. Perception is reality for many.
Social norms, and behaviors related to them, can spread via social networks just like viruses can. However, there is one important caveat. In order to spread a virus, it is often enough to have a single contact with the potential host. However, behaviors are often spread through multiple contacts. This phenomenon is known as “complex contagion” and highlights the fact that socially acquired behaviors can take time to become embedded.
Try to guess the reactions of people on this video.
Fiction spreads faster that fact
Take a look at a familiar scene: the return to fashion of baggy denim.
Many millennials, like myself, may cringe and light-heartedly tease a friend who is wearing this revived trend. After seeing them wear denim parachutes multiple times, the thought might arise: “Hmm… maybe they don’t look too bad.” It’s a complex contagious process.
Social media makes this dynamic even more apparent. One of my former pupils put it succinctly. She was reading an Instagram post on Astro Boy boots, red, oversize shoes based on the ones worn by a Japanese cartoon character from 1952. After reading the comments, her initial skepticism was quickly dispelled. She said, “I thought at first that they were ugly, but after reading all the comments, they are kind of fire.”
Consider the spread of misinformation through social media. Disinformation is false, intentionally spread information that has been disseminated in order to harm or deceive.
According to research, misinformation and disinformation spread online faster and further than the truth. It is possible that people may already be behind the curve before they can gather the resources necessary to dispel the false information that has migrated into their social networks. A malicious contagion could have spread falsehoods across the network in a complex way.
Many people spread false information online for various reasons. For example, to further their own agenda or narrative. This can lead to echo rooms that filter out accurate data contrary to one’s views. When people spread false information on the internet, it is often because they are not paying attention to accuracy and have lower levels of digital literacy.
Inoculation against social contagion
What can we do?
A way to fight harmful contagions is to use an idea that was first used in 1960s, called Pre-bunking. It’s a good idea to teach people how to recognize and resist disinformation and misinformation before they are exposed to it on a larger scale.
It is similar to vaccinations, which build immunity by exposing a person to a weaker form of the germ that causes disease. It is intended that someone be exposed to only a small amount of false information. For example, through the quiz. Then, they learn to identify common manipulative tactics in false information. They also learn how to combat their influence using evidence-based strategies. It could be done by a facilitator in classrooms, offices, or any other group, including online communities.
This resistance skills training involves role-playing and practicing counterarguments. This resistance skills training, by role-playing the counterarguments and practicing them, provides a kind of psychological innoculation, at least temporary, against misinformation and deception.
This approach is aimed at someone who hasn’t yet been exposed false information. It’s called pre-bunking, not debunking. When we are trying to communicate with someone who is adamantly defending their position, especially when it contradicts our own, behavior scientists recommend that we use empathy and exchange narratives without judgment.
Even strong debunking messages may not be enough to stop misinformation. You may not be able change the other person’s mind but you can engage in civil discussions and avoid pushing them away from your point of view.
Spreading the truth, not fiction
People can teach their loved ones and friends to spot false information by using this technique. It could be that you recognize a false dichotomy, such as “either support this bill OR you HATE our nation.”
A common falsehood is to blame others for the problem. For example, “The oil industry is in danger of collapse because of the rise of electric cars.” Another is a logical fallacy that is prone to slippage. One example is that “legalizing marijuana will lead everyone to use heroin.”
These are all examples of tactics used to spread misinformation. They come from the Practical guide to pre-bunking misinformation created by a team of researchers from the University of Cambridge and Jigsaw – an interdisciplinary group within Google.
This method is effective not only in combating misinformation or disinformation but also in delaying the onset of harmful behavior. Pre-bunking is effective in delaying the initiation to tobacco use by adolescents, according to my own research. It only works if you give yourself regular “booster shot” training. Otherwise, the effect will fade in a few months.
Researchers like myself who study social contagion dynamics do not yet know how to best keep these “booster shot” in people’s life. Recent studies have shown that can be achieved. One promising research line suggests that group-based approaches can be effective at preserving the pre-bunking effect in order to achieve psychological immunity. Personal, I’d bet on group-based strategies where your friends, family, or colleagues can reinforce each other to resist harmful social standards entering your network.
If you have a group of people in your social network who are able to resist, your group will be better positioned to resist the intrusion of harmful norms or behaviors than if only one person is resisting. The other people in your network are important.
The research shows that resistance skills training is an effective way to protect ourselves and our children from harmful behaviors.
Shaon lahiri has not disclosed any relevant affiliations other than their academic appointment.
