Building Immunity to Online Deception: A New Approach Using Active Inoculation

The spread of false information on social media is a dangerous threat to modern society
because it can lead people to take misguided and even violent actions. Social media is an
incredibly important information source for people and it allows for the propagation of content
around the world. Despite this, users have an inability to recognize false information and fake
news. This thesis delves into the root causes of this issue and evaluates current solutions on a comprehensive list of criteria. It also proposes a new approach by which the spread of false information on social media can be mitigated, using the technique of active inoculation. Overall, it stresses the need for social media companies to go in a different direction in their fight against false information and seeks to make social media a more informed, more productive place.