Create fake news to better flush them out online: here is the bet of the game Go Viral!

What if the new effective tool to fight against fake news on social networks was us, the users?

In any case, this is the ambition of the University of Cambridge, which has launched an online game, Go Viral, to train Internet users in the detection of false information, especially in the midst of Covid-19.

The objective: to understand the process of creating fake news to better eradicate them.

According to the researchers, the more the user deciphers this phenomenon, the more he is able to counter fake news by opposing verified information.

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Playing on emotions, quoting false specialists

The video game is available online at goviralgame.com, in English, French and German.

First, it is about understanding the workings of fake news: first playing on emotion to attract attention, then quoting fake experts and finally denouncing a conspiracy.

And that's when the process gets carried away, since the strength of fake news lies in the speed of its circulation, thanks to social networks.

Targeted traffic, in line with the community of each Internet user.

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The game Go Viral !, recommended for over 14s, takes the party to place the Internet user on the wrong side of the fence, in the shoes of a creator and a disseminator of false information.

In a few minutes, all the "tips" are exposed: playing on strong emotions, delivering shocking facts, writing key words in capital letters to attract attention or even supporting your words. a reference to a specialist by citing his establishment. 

The player can then test several versions of a message before publishing it, fictitiously, to observe the effect produced.

Immunizing yourself against fake news while playing is now possible.