In a groundbreaking move, academic researchers are urging governments to leverage the power of human emotions in the fight against social media disinformation and fake news. The case study of Irish health advocate Laura Brennan showcases how real-life stories with emotional impact can effectively counter aggressive anti-vaccine rhetoric and revive public trust in crucial vaccination programs. This approach could have wide-ranging applications, from addressing the recent UK riots to the upcoming COVID and flu vaccination rollouts, where misinformation has historically undermined public health efforts.
Emotion Trumps Logic
Published in Business & Society, the research exposes a fundamental inconsistency in prevailing Fake News antidotes. Governments and public bodies have traditionally used fact-checking and official verification of data to win public trust over, with mixed results in terms of increasing uptake.
According to the researchers, given that effective counteraction depends on human emotions [12], we believe this last point is critical. As Dr Itziar Castello from Bayes Business School commented, “People remember how you make them feel, which sometimes is even more important than facts and figures. This emotional connection is what has been lacking in the fight against fake news.
Personal Stories Can Be Transformative
The story of Laura Brennan, a 26-year-old woman who was diagnosed with terminal cervical cancer, speaks volumes as to the power a personal narrative can have. His scientifically informed but emotionally charged social media messaging played a crucial role in reversing the damage of polarising anti-vaccine attacks that up until then had dominated discussions around Ireland’s HPV vaccination campaign.
Brennan supported the Irish Health Service Executive (IHSE), using emotional batteries – a conceptual tool for understanding how people generate ’emotional energy’ from both positive and negative emotions – to engage with the public. From vulnerability of her cancer treatment, to more relatable shots of her with friends on a night out — these straightforward posts humanized the vaccine campaign and countered the inhumane dehumanizing approaches taken by anti-vaxxers.
Government Roadmap — How Government can make use of Emotion and Legitimacy
For governments and public agencies keen to address the epidemic of fake news, the study gives ways in which they might do this. If an organization cut a deal with Laura Brennan and other crusaders who also know what they are talking about, that ’emotional legitimacy’ might come into play even more.
It is essential for public institutions to take emotions into account in responding fake news as Dr. Marie Joachim, co-author of the study explains: In the end, to return legitimacy, they have only so many humans among them from whom they can win public affection back — humans like Laura. The ramifications are vast, from quelling social unrest to cutting the red tape that so often entangles critical public health efforts.
The spotlight placed on the tight and mutually supportive link between Brennan and IHSE shows why third-party advocates need to be armed with the facts, tools, and courage necessary to push back against disinformation campaigns. By nurturing these mutually beneficial associations, authorities can utilize the force of human feelings to oppose misleading content and reconstruct public certainty in integral institutions and services.
