information that gives us context
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Where does fake news come from?
History shows us that fake news is not a problem of modernity; they have probably existed since the human being exists and have been part of social relations as long as humans lived in groups and the power relations between them mattered (1).
In recent history, disinformation has gained relevance. Its impact has multiplied with social networks and the ease of accessing any information in seconds using the internet.
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(1) Burkhardt, JM (2017). History of fake news. Library Technology Reports, 53 (8), 5-9.
The numbers indicate that we must tackle misinformation
87% of Colombians consume information on social networks while only 58% do so with television and 24% with print media 2).
Note that 67% of Colombians use Facebook to consume and share news, and 45% use WhatsApp (3).
We still do not have studies on the impact of disinformation in Colombia. In the United States, 75% of young people believe the false news they are exposed to (4). In Colombia, 60% of people of voting age report having considered false news to which they were told (5).
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(2) The Digital News Report 2021
(3) The Digital News Report 2021
(4) Silverman, 2016
(5) Figures & Concepts; Vallejo 2019, Polymetric Survey
What are behavioral sciences, and how do they help us solve the problem of misinformation?
Today there are different currents and discussions of what we consider to be behavioral sciences, behavioral economics, and behavioral change. For our project - DIP - we will briefly describe the subject and explain why it is essential.
Behavioral sciences are a broad term to refer to the disciplines that study human behavior, the factors that motivate it, and the tools we have available to help people perform behaviors that they want and contribute to society's well-being.
The behavior of sharing fake news and the factors that motivate it is at the heart of the misinformation problem. If fewer people believe and share fake news, this situation will have less impact on our country and democracy.
The experience and research of the DIP team show us that sharing false news is behavior motivated by multiple factors internal and external to individuals. Our history, knowledge, beliefs, judgments, emotions, cultural and social environment, what our peers do, what we think others expect us to do, the information around us, and the mental shortcuts with which we were born, are all factors that can influence the information we seek, believe and share. All these factors combine to determine also if we make mistakes in our decisions and end up believing and sharing false and polarizing information.
This is why DIP brings Colombia an innovative vision with scientific support to approach the problem of disinformation. We use behavioral sciences to understand the factors that influence us to create and share false news and design a fun, easy-to-use solution that empowers Colombians to use information.
