Foolproof

Everyone is susceptible to fake news. There are polarising narratives in society, conspiracy theories are rife, and accuracy is often lost in favour of sensationalist headlines. Here Dr Sander van der Linden takes us through the common traits of conspiratorial thinking and describes how to inoculate oneself against the spread of misinformation and push back against methods of mass persuasion.

''A fascinating, in-depth investigation into the complex landscape of misinformation from someone who has spent his career trying to combat fake news'' Angela Saini One of the world''s top experts on fighting misinformation reveals the psychology behind its power - and how we can protect ourselves. From fake news to conspiracy theories, from pandemics to politics, misinformation may be the defining problem of our era. Like a virus, misinformation infects our minds - altering our beliefs and replicating at astonishing rates. Once the virus takes hold, our primary strategies of fact-checking and debunking are an insufficient cure. In Foolproof Sander van der Linden describes how to inoculate yourself and others against the spread of misinformation, discern fact from fiction and push back against methods of mass persuasion. Everyone is susceptible to fake news. There are polarising narratives in society, conspiracy theories are rife, fake experts dole out misleading advice and accuracy is often lost in favour of sensationalist headlines. So how and why does misinformation spread if we''re all aware of its existence? And, more importantly, what can we do about it? Sander van der Linden takes us through the psychology of conspiratorial thinking and equips us with the eleven antigens needed to help stop the spread of misinformation once and for all.

Autorentext

Sander van der Linden is The Professor of Social Psychology in Society and Director of the Cambridge Social Decision-Making Lab in the Department of Psychology at the University of Cambridge. He is often dubbed Cambridge's 'defence against the dark arts teacher' and his pioneering research on fake news, misinformation, science denial, and the psychology of influence and persuasion is world-renowned and has received many awards. Prior to Cambridge, he was based at Yale University and Princeton University. He earned his PhD from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and currently resides in Cambridge, UK.

Klappentext

Winner of British Psychological Society Best Book Prize (Popular Science) 2023

Nature's Top 10 Books of 2023

A Financial Times Book of the Year 2023

A Waterstones Book of the Year for Politics 2023

Fake news. Alternative facts. Conspiracy theories. Misinformation is one of the defining problems of our age, and despite what we may think, we are all susceptible. So how and why does misinformation spread? And, more importantly, what can we do about it? Sander van der Linden, a Cambridge University professor and leading expert, takes us through the psychology of conspiratorial thinking and equips us with the tools needed to help stop the spread of misinformation once and for all.

'Authoritative' Financial Times

'Encouraging' The Times

'A fascinating case for counteracting the misinformation virus through psychological inoculation' Observer

'A must-read for those of us interested in resisting the spread of disinformation' Psychology Today

'If you want to know why people believe fake news and how to defend yourself against it, then this is the book to read' The Skeptic

Zusammenfassung
Winner of British Psychological Society Best Book Prize (Popular Science) 2023Nature's Top 10 Books of 2023A Financial Times Book of the Year 2023?A Waterstones Book of the Year for Politics 2023