Immunizing citizens against dis/misinformation

Beside the current pandemic, we also have infodemic spreading increasingly among EU citizens which can severely impact their democratic participation and engagement. This may include disinformation, misinformation, fake news, and other types of interference on different issues related with public life, such as elections, vaccination, migration. A pre-emptive approach needs to be taken for decreasing the worsening impact, such as using vaccination against the spread of the pandemic. IMMUNE 2 INFODEMIC aims to immunize EU citizens against the disinformation and misinformation on selected themes by empowering and equipping them with several methods using eye-catching material and easy-to-use tools. The project consortium formulates and co-produces 3 instruments (vaccines): digital literacy, media literacy, critical thinking; and applies these instruments on 3 selected hot themes (boosters): elections, COVID-19 and migration. Vulnerable citizens/residents having limited/no knowledge about mis/disinformation activities but using social media extensively, youth generation (18-25 y) and also seniors (65+ y) will be targeted for the injection in different forms of in-situ and online events (workshops, multiplier and youth interaction events, a big campaign and a final conference) with the support of multipliers including media professionals, social media influencers and civil society organisations. The project consortium will organise in total 20 events in Belgium, the Netherlands and Finland aiming to reach out directly 2.000 citizens in Europe and also indirectly 20.000 people with the help of multipliers, media and social media. Based on the feedback from the audience and changing form of mis/disinformation, the consortium will modify vaccinations and boosters and put them on an e-learning platform for being available after the project duration to extend impact.