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The best way to inoculate yourself against wacky conspiracy theories is to create one ... - Facebook

facebook.com

The counterintuitive science of conspiracy theory immunity suggests the best defence isn't debunking — it's learning to build disinformation yourself.

Inoculation TheoryPrebunkingCognitive BiasSocial Epistemology
The best way to inoculate yourself against wacky conspiracy theories is to create one ... - Facebook

Theory Briefing

  • Creating a fake conspiracy theory yourself exposes the rhetorical tricks that make them feel convincing.
  • Inoculation Theory predicts that exposure to a weakened form of misinformation builds mental resistance, just like a vaccine.
  • This approach flips traditional media literacy on its head — active manipulation beats passive fact-checking as a learning tool.