this post was submitted on 10 Aug 2023
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Critical thinking education trumps banning and censorship in battle against disinformation, study suggests (www.psypost.org)
submitted 2 years ago by L4s@lemmy.world to c/technology@lemmy.world
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Critical thinking education trumps banning and censorship in battle against disinformation, study suggests::A new study conducted by researchers from Michigan State University suggests that the battle against online disinformation cannot be won by mere content moderation or banning those who spread fake news. Instead, the key lies in early and continuous education that teaches individuals to critically evaluate information and remain open to changing their minds. ...

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[–] theluddite@lemmy.ml 13 points 2 years ago (2 children)

This study is an agent-based simulation:

The researchers used a type of math called “agent-based modeling” to simulate how people’s opinions change over time. They focused on a model where individuals can believe the truth, the fake information, or remain undecided. The researchers created a network of connections between these individuals, similar to how people are connected on social media.

They used the binary agreement model to understand the “tipping point” (the point where a small change can lead to significant effects) and how disinformation can spread.

Personally, I love agent-based models. I think agent modeling is a very, very powerful tool for systems insight, but I don't like this article's interpretation, nor am I convinced the author of this article really groks what agent-based modeling really is. It's a very different kind of "study" than what most people mean when they use that word, and interpreting the insights is its own can of worms.

Just a heads up, for those of you casually scrolling by.

[–] Cabrio@lemmy.world 1 points 2 years ago

To summarise, agent based analysis is closer to comparative analysis than objective analysis, and is best used for analysing systems with too many variables for comprehensive objective analysis.

[–] Tb0n3@sh.itjust.works -2 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)