Developing Resilience to Disinformation: A Game-Based Method for Future Communicators

Mariana Cernicova-Buca and Daniel Ciurel
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Mariana Cernicova-Buca: Department of Communication and Foreign Languages, Politehnica University Timișoara, 300006 Timișoara, Romania
Daniel Ciurel: Department of Communication and Foreign Languages, Politehnica University Timișoara, 300006 Timișoara, Romania

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 9, 1-12

Abstract: This paper analyzes the outcomes of a game-based educational process aiming to strengthen resilience to fake news. An innovative approach that considers linguistic choices as bases for manipulating information is used in an online classroom environment, students in communication being invited to understand, explain and reflect upon framing and information credibility, using as a topic of inquiry the refugee crisis of 2021 in Romania. Cognitive learning outcomes as well as learning dynamics were assessed using pre- and end-of game surveys. The results of the game are discussed in relation with the instructional goal to facilitate the understanding of communicative social actions, learning about disinformation that is deliberately misleading, as well as finding ways to break the disinformation code. The debriefing discussions after each stage of the game encouraged students to reflect upon their newly gained insights and increase their critical thinking capacity, in the effort to ensure a sustainable education in communication studies. The paper has the potential to enrich the educational strategies with innovative methods helping future professionals navigate the complex world of media messages.

Keywords: disinformation; fake news; serious game-playing; CRAAP test; resilience; media literacy; sustainable education (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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