Sounds fake but okay
In an era when misinformation is rife, what can and should communications teams be doing to stem the spread?
We live in an age in which there is way too much information, but little knowledge and even less wisdom
We live in an age of misinformation. In 2021 we have more resources at our fingertips than ever before, and yet somehow it’s harder than ever to understand what is really going on — and what or who is telling the truth. In no year since the advent of the internet has this been a more acute problem than since the outset of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, when trust in institutions has been tested on a global scale. “We live in an age in which there is way too much information, but little knowledge and even less wisdom,” writer Elif Shafak recently said on Twitter. “They are completely different things.”
Imran Ahmed, CEO of the Center for Countering Digital Hate, a US- and UK-based think-tank, lays the blame at the doorstep of digital technology, which, he says, “has forever changed the way we communicate, build relationships, share knowledge, set social standards and negotiate and assert our society's values”. He continues: “online spaces have been colonised and their unique dynamics exploited by fringe movements that instrumentalise hate and misinformation. These movements are opportunistic, agile and confident in exerting influence and persuading people.” When you consider that, according to Ofcom, 73% of adults say they get news via the internet (this grows to 89% for the 16-24 age group), with 49% using social media and other websites and apps — it’s not hard to see where problems begin to arise.
And while fake news is nothing new, when it comes to false facts about the pandemic specifically — whether it’s conspiracy theories about it all being a hoax or scaremongering over the vaccine — it’s clear that misinformation is spreading quicker and more widely than ever before. A report from Yonder, an AI software company that is proactively helping to stamp out the problem, found that narratives from agenda-driven groups travelled over 10 times faster online during the Covid-19 pandemic than in more stable times preceding it. “Previously, we saw narratives from these groups reach mainstream internet conversation in six to eight months,” says Jonathon Morgan, Yonder’s founder and CEO. “In times of crisis (such as a global pandemic), we see them spread in three to 14 days.”
Taking back control
According to Jo Hemmings, a behavioural psychologist, this makes sense. “In very uncertain times, people want an explanation for something that has never occurred before,” she says. “They need to find a way of understanding it or finding the ‘truth’.” Put simply, in the uncertainty of the pandemic, many people were drawn to conspiracy theories that presented themselves as an antidote to the chaos — and people who are desperate for an answer tend to be less discerning about whether or not it’s the right one. Ultimately, Hemmings says it’s about control.
People need to feel safe and secure in the world they live in, Conspiracy theories offer some sort of control, power or autonomy.
It’s an issue that has dogged the vaccine rollout programme in the UK, causing a rise in hesitancy, particularly among those who are more likely to get all of their information online — that is to say, the under 30s. According to data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), just 63% of 16- to 29-year-olds reported positive vaccine sentiment at the start of the vaccination programme in December 2020. At the same time, a joint survey from LSE and UCL, released in March, found that vaccine hesitancy among young Black people was as high as 64%. Based on the logic that the inoculation would only help to drive down our national infection rate if our immunity reaches between 70 and 85% of the total population (according to government estimates), the imperative to act was clear. Since then, a combination of government policy to incentivise vaccination among that group, alongside an ambitious strategic communications campaign led by the NHS aimed at challenging misinformation, has yielded positive results.
ONS data published in July showed that the percentage of Black or Black British adults who were vaccine hesitant had reduced to just 21% — still higher than the national average (4%) but a significant improvement. As for 16- to 29-year-olds, more than nine in 10 (92%) reported positive vaccine sentiment.
The evidence makes for compelling reading and demonstrates just how much of an impact a well-crafted communications campaign can have on guiding public opinion. As a government agency, you might expect the NHS to take a strong approach on this, but what about private companies? What — if anything — can communications professionals do to help to stem the flow of misinformation?
A new era of communications
“The breakdown of traditional communications infrastructure has repositioned businesses from standalone brands to information regulators,” says Morgan. “In this environment, day-to-day responsibilities for communications professionals have expanded and increased in importance.”
As Morgan points out, brands are often pulled into controversial conversations that are plagued by misinformation, even when they don’t speak out. “To help protect themselves and avoid fuelling the misinformation fire, a brand’s best option is to frequently communicate its position on controversial issues, like voting rights or vaccines, early, frequently - and clearly to both internal and external stakeholders.”
This chimes with the advice of Hemmings, who says that from a psychological perspective, consistency is key. “Give a truthful, honest picture, the good news and the bad news,” she says. “Whatever it is, stay consistent with your messaging, even if it means telling people information that may distress them.” The key, Hemmings says, is telling the truth. “When people think there’s more to the story than they’re being told, they look for other answers.”
Create content and messaging that matters to your audience, tell great stories, be responsive to your audiences and engage in a way that is aligned to your brand values.
Rosie Hamilton, managing director of Bees Knees Marketing, points out that being trustworthy and reliable is another important component of this. “Be a trusted source of information and advice,” she says. “Create content and messaging that matters to your audience, tell great stories, be responsive to your audiences and engage in a way that is aligned to your brand values.” She says that though it takes time, “by building a reputation in this way, you gain a lot of respect,” and that “this brand authenticity increases the likelihood of your audiences believing what you [specifically] have to say rather than others who are out for click-bait and being controversial for the sake of it.”
Morgan also advises identifying the gaps in your current tech stack and establishing practices that put your brand on the offence, not defence. “Make crisis planning a daily habit: business leaders must always be prepared to act strategically and swiftly in the event a negative situation does unfold. They should regularly practise and hone their crisis responses and walk their teams through potentially damaging scenarios,” he says. “While brands may not anticipate the exact situation, these regular exercises will provide teams with the familiarity and preparation needed to respond swiftly and effectively.”
He also advises ringing the alarm bell early. “Rather than waiting until after a crisis has taken place to explore what prompted it or why a certain group was targeting your brand, invest time and resources into proactively monitoring all corners of the internet. By catching a potentially damaging narrative in its earliest stages, business leaders can ensure they are adjusting their responses and planning accordingly to prevent costly crises before they take place.” Morgan also advises against relying on sentiment and volume. “Traditional social listening tools that rely on these metrics alone won't alert brands to potentially harmful narratives until they’re already trending online and the damage has been done. Rather than waiting to see what caused a crisis and formulating a reactive response, invest in technologies that offer insight into who is originating and amplifying these conversations.” This, he says, will allow business leaders to accurately assess the risk associated with different misinformation campaigns and be proactive in formulating the most effective response.
Using your influence
On a basic level, working with social media platforms to identify harmful or inaccurate information is equally important. Khan takes a strong line on this: “We cannot ignore the fact that social media companies have failed to clamp down on misinformation for so long.” He goes on to say that it is time for the government to incentivise these companies to clean up their act. But in 2021, when brands wield such a huge amount of sway over their global audiences and can (and so often do) use this to help to drive positive change, do they not also have a responsibility to use their influence to push the platforms they use to do better?
“Today’s communications professionals must recognise they’re facing a new breed of crisis, stemming from hyperactive online groups, boycotts and misinformation campaigns,” says Morgan. “Unlike traditional crisis comms, there are no playbooks for this, meaning communications professionals must leverage proactive solutions and insights whenever possible if they want to stop a misinformation narrative from becoming a full-fledged misinformation crisis.” Ultimately he says, the imperative to act is not just a moral one - it’s economic too. “Catching harmful narratives before they reach the mainstream will help slow or minimise potential damage, saving brands millions in time and resources.” Money talks, after all.
The most important question is: are you and your brand listening?