Fake news and online conspiracy theories flourished online during the COVID-19 pandemic, were evident during State and Federal elections and the Voice Referendum and present an ongoing challenge for social cohesion.
Agent C is a training program delivered by national anti-racism charity All Together Now that aims to enhance the confidence of young people to unpack and critically engage with divisive and hateful conspiracy theories and fake news. Participants are empowered to have these conversations with their friends and families to combat the spread of hate.
The program draws on research showing that ‘pre-bunking’ and inoculation theory can be effective methods of empowering young people to spot fake news and misinformation. A bit like medical inoculation, pre-bunking works by pre-emptively exposing people to weakened doses of misinformation to help cultivate ‘mental antibodies’ against fake news.
Agent C was co-designed with young people and has been supported by youth mental health agency Headspace. After a successful pilot in 2021, the program has since reached over 1,000 young people across regional New South Wales and Greater Sydney. There has been high demand from schools, and the program has been showcased in NSW Department of Education’s publication Scan: The journal for educators.
The workshops involve three training modules covering fake news, the link between conspiracy theories and racism, and motivational interviewing techniques to encourage peer-to-peer learning.
Program results demonstrate that 77% of participants feel more confident in their ability to tell when something is fake news. 72% of program participants say they have learned new skills for talking to friends and family about fake news and conspiracy theories.
What are students saying?
- “Instead of letting conspiracy theories that reach my family slip, I’ve actually started productive conversations with my parents about it.”
- “I’ve begun speaking with my friends and family who engage with internet rabbit holes to get a better insight into their perspective and question them in a respectful way.”
- “I feel that I have a responsibility to stop myself and others around me from being influenced negatively by this information.”
Anonymous feedback from Agent C program participants
(I learned) how to talk to somebody who believes in a conspiracy theory, without reinforcing the theory. Specifically, how to question and disprove their beliefs, without being angry or condescending.
Fake news and conspiracy theories are not new phenomenon. Governments have long had to contend with the spread of rumour, misinformation and propaganda during times of crisis. But as digital technologies and social media have proliferated, it has become harder to constrain the spread of conspiracies. This risk was compounded during the COVID-19 crisis, when conspiracy theories spread online just like the virus was spreading among people.
For Stijn Denayer, CEO of All Together Now, the mix of new technologies and global crises makes programs like Agent C even more important.
“This work is important because the advent of AI has made the intersections of technology and information even more complex,” Stijn said.
“Far right and other hateful online influencers are taking advantage of local and global events to spread hate and misinformation. Young people are specifically targeted by certain online channels and accounts and are being bombarded by divisive and hateful conspiracy theories and fake news.”
Importantly, Agent C is not only about protecting young people from harmful conspiracy theories. It is also empowering young people to be digital citizens who can lead the conversation with their parents and peers.
“(I learned) how to talk to somebody who believes in a conspiracy theory, without reinforcing the theory. Specifically, how to question and disprove their beliefs, without being angry or condescending,” one participant said in their anonymous feedback.
The Agent C project was funded by Multicultural NSW under the COMPACT Program.
Join Ben James from AAP FactCheck in Step Together’s Start the Conversation series as he explores how his team is tackling misinformation and disinformation.
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