CCP118: On Prebunking

In this week’s conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss prebunking, the concept of trying to expose falsehoods before they even come about. The concept of prebunking is modeled after the way vaccines work, but targeted at false information. It involves creating an immune response in the brain to counter the disease of false information, hoaxes and conspiracy theories. In a world where misinformation and disinformation abound and are fueled by the prevalence of A.I., it’s more critical than ever to be able to distinguish truth from deception.

Episode Links

An article in The Washington Post titled “Debunking misinformation failed. Welcome to ‘pre-bunking,’” sparked today’s episode. It discussed how the idea of prebunking was drawn from the “inoculation theory” of the 1960s. The hope is that prebunking efforts will stem the spread of misinformation ahead of the 2024 election.

As mentioned, A.I. is exacerbating the problem, making it increasingly difficult to root out fake stories and headlines. We tackled the topic of A.I. on the C&C Podcast - if you missed that episode you can find it HERE. Another recent podcast episode can shed some light on why prebunking is needed: CCP113: On Metamodernism. It looked at how we now have a culture that empowers the individual to first determine right ethics for themselves and then to find a corresponding religion or group that fits. This is simply fueling the struggle to recognize truth in our day.

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