Context

Coming from Turkey, Brazil, and Russia, each one of us experienced a government(s) that had control over media channels, which resulted in media bias and the spread of fake news in the societies we live in. Thus, the difference between political views intensified and transformed into a vast polarization in society, affecting family relations, public peace, and overall democracy. Other than our personal experiences, with digital advancements such as social media algorithms, unethical use of artificial intelligence, etc. exposure to misinformation from media channels is increasing every day. Overall, misinformation and fake news can have damaging effects on society. They can lead to decreased trust, social division, misinformed decisions, impaired media credibility, increased vulnerability to manipulation, and undermined democracy. Therefore, it is important to raise awareness on fake news and to inform societies on how to get ahead of misinformation instead of spreading it.

Strategy

Our strategy is to develop and an implement engaging content, social media campaign and collabrations that highlight the importance of media literacy and critical thinking in the context of fake news and political ideas while building a bridge between politically diverse target groups.

Tone of voice

The tone of our campaign is dynamic, engaging and thought-provoking, as well as provocative to grab the most attention.

The distribution channels

The distribution channels for this campaign will primarily include the internet (Website: game, fact checking sources and shop) and offline (Posters, T-shirts, stickers). Additionally, social media platforms will be utilized to reach a wider audience and maximize the campaign's impact (Instagram, facebook, twitter posts and stories).

Target groups

We aimed to engage working professionals and students between the ages of 25 and 40, who consume new media. They are aware of the manipulation of the media and are interested in positive changes for democracy. Additionally, our secondary target group consisted of family members of the core group with different political persuasions. These individuals, often unaware of the impact, are influenced by consuming traditional and news media sources.

Insights

We found several key ideas. Firstly, we noticed that young people tend to be more politically active, often experiencing polarization. Secondly, we found that fake news is mainly spread by people with right-wing political beliefs. Thirdly, older people tend to rely on traditional media such as newspapers and television due to their preference for familiar channels of communication. Moreover, we observed that the level of education within a country directly affects the vulnerability of its citizens to fake news, and the lack of education correlates with increased susceptibility. Finally, people tend to trust their communities, which makes it difficult to change their beliefs when they conflict with the opinion of the group.

Motivators, Inhibitors, Sacrifices, Verbatims, and Behaviors

In order to motivate our target audience, we have placed emphasis on the search for truthful political knowledge. However, we identified limiting factors such as the inadequacy of research, limited access to education, the convenience of being in one's own community, and a lack of interest in seeking alternative points of view. Participants must step out of their comfort zone, face opposing opinions and potentially conflicting viewpoints, which often requires sacrifice. Transcripts collected during the campaign highlighted phrases such as „Everything I disagree with is fake news“ and „I can't be in the same room with someone like you.“ Behaviors exhibited by our target audience included their use of social media as their primary source of information, severing relationships with relatives with different political beliefs, vehemently defending their chosen political figures, and selectively interpreting information based on pre-existing beliefs.

Desired behavior

Our desired client behavior is for people to feel inspired and motivated to think about tolerance and empathy by reducing polarization in society, encouraging critical thinking to avoid the spread of fake news, and fostering constructive dialogue in political discussions. The idea of our initiative is to encourage people to be critical of the information they consume and share, and to double check its accuracy before sharing it with others. Our unique selling proposition aims to equip young professionals with the skills and knowledge to navigate trusted resources, nurture empathy and critical thinking in political conversations.

Client

The non-profit organization European Partnership for Democracy (EPD) is a hypothetical NGO for this campaign. The EPD focuses on innovation in democracy, inclusiveness, the defense of democracy, European politics for democracy, and democratic principles in the digital realm. With a history of working with NGOs around the world, EPD is committed to strengthening democratic governance, promoting political maturity, critical thinking, and inclusive political processes.

Outcome

This initiative's major instrument is an interactive online game aimed to educate consumers about the ramifications and impacts of fake news. Furthermore, to sustain user involvement, the campaign includes a variety of aspects such as an educational website, regional customisation, and interactive social media platforms. The campaign's focus is the creation of an engaging online game that serves as an effective teaching tool. The game gives users access to important information on the need of combating misinformation. Players are also led through the game's mechanics, enabling them to recognize and avoid fake information with ease. Users are urged to share their fake news in order to maintain the game's continued relevance and to keep the material updated.

The utilization of a platform that can be customized to consumers' preferences based on language and location. The user experience will stay relevant and relatable to people from different backgrounds due to this localization. The campaign optimizes its potential impact on encouraging awareness and critical thinking about false news by offering information that is customized to particular audiences.

The campaign includes a variety of additional initiatives in addition to the online game to increase user engagement and maintain an active presence. As visual aids for raising awareness, a set of posters has been creatively created to connect to false news scenarios explored in the game. Additionally, the campaign uses Instagram as a dynamic platform to disseminate information, communicate project updates, and build strong relationships with the target demographic. Future plans include the creation of products like postcards, stickers, and t-shirts that will enable consumers to actively contribute to spreading the campaign's message.

The distinctive artistic approach, which is inspired by punk influences, is inextricably linked to the campaign's theme. Bright and contrasting colors are purposefully used to draw in viewers' interest and stimulate their curiosity, which eventually encourages them to interact with the campaign's message. The campaign's underlying concept of confronting disinformation via educated and critical thinking is further echoed by the usage of punk aesthetics as a symbol of resistance and revolution.

This fake news awareness campaign has produced a creative and diverse project that aims to empower people in their quest for trustworthy information and critical thinking. The interactive online game intends to promote a culture of media literacy and responsible information sharing, together with educational website content, regional adaptation, and complementing efforts. The campaign aims to encourage a community effort to combat false information and protect the integrity of information.