Fake Plots!
How do conspiracy theories arise and why do they become popular? By playing we will understand from the inside what mechanisms are involved in developing and spreading a conspiracy theory.
In the game, you will create a new conspiracy theory and disseminate it on a social platform created specifically for this purpose!
How to play
The aim of the game is to artfully create conspiracy theories and spread them on Glitter, a dedicated social media platform, becoming as popular as possible in that social community.
To this end, you will be given time to study the "conspiracy theorist's toolkit". When you are ready, you will join Glitter. A breaking news item from a mainstream information channel will appear in the Glitter newsfeed. From that moment, you can post your conspiracy-themed response to the news item in question and interact with other players - commenting, liking, and reposting contributions.
This part of the game lasts 10 minutes, during which new updates on the initial news item will also appear. During the 10 minutes of play, your activity and that of the other players will be monitored by the Glitter algorithm which determines the players' "popularity score".
You will be awarded:
3 points when your post receives a like;
4 points when your post is reposted;
5 points when there is a comment on your post;
1.5 points when you like another player's post;
2 points when you repost another player’s post;
2.5 points when you comment on another player's post.
The popularity score is updated in real time in the ranking available in the relevant section of the Glitter app, accessible on the sidebar by clicking on the Trophy symbol. When the game stops whoever has scored the most popularity points wins.
Glitter
Glitter is the social media platform where the game takes place. You can access the platform here. See below for some sample exchanges on Glitter.
The Conspiracy Theorist's Kit
The kit teaches you some useful strategies to develop and spread your explanations on Glitter.
The Gold card: Distrust
Yellow cards: Cognitive Biases
Pink Cards: Psychological Needs
Green cards: Argumentative Fallacies
Blue cards: Communication Strategies
Red cards: Frequently asked questions
Do you want to play Fake Plots! in your group or in your class?
Below you can download the PDFs with the instructions and the cards, and print them out.
Instructions ENG.pdfCards ENG.pdfWe are happy to share some ideas about how to play the game, in person or online; and suggests some activities to follow the game to stimulate reflection and discussion. Also, if you are planning a session with your students and want to act as a facilitator, we can send you the QR codes to introduce the prompts into Glitter. Just get in touch!
Here you find a write up of our experience playing Fake Plots!