Commentary
Since our inaugural AHD Bulletin in 2015, we have curated content for animal health pros, including published information at all levels, with consumer-facing media being part of it. The growing amount of misinformation creates tremendous costs in our lives and industry. Once out in the public, incorrect information requires a lot of time and effort to correct, not to mention the cost of repairing damages created by it.
Kai Kupferschmidt’s article is a long read, but it reinforces the reason for DVMs to consistently communicate about prevention, treatments and proper care. He offers a deep dive into the basic idea behind psychological inoculation, which seeks to reduce the effect of misinformation and its basic ideas.
Inoculation in this context has two steps:
- Warn people they may be manipulated.
- Expose them to a weakened form of the misinformation . . . just enough to intrigue but not persuade anyone.
Not all agree that targeting individuals is the most important strategy. Rather, they believe stopping those who deliver misinformation is the most important approach. Regardless, reducing the delivery of misinformation and preparing our communication downlines for the potential of erroneous information is important.
Source: Science, October 31, 2024. Link.
Inoculation, also called “prebunking,” is just one of several techniques researchers are testing to stop people from falling for misinformation and spreading it further.”