The digital world plays a significant role in various aspects of life. However, it is filled with choice architectures designed to prioritize commercial interests, which poses risks to society. These architectures reduce human autonomy, contribute to incivility online, and facilitate the spread of disinformation. Two approaches can address these challenges: boosting cognitive competences and boosting via digital environments. Boosting cognitive competences involves empowering users and fostering digital competences through strategies such as lateral reading, fact-checking rules, inoculation, self-nudging, and critical ignoring. On the other hand, boosting via digital environments focuses on designing digital architectures that encourage people to exercise existing competences or learn new ones, leveraging epistemic cues, algorithmic transparency, and social network literacy. These approaches aim to promote truth, autonomy, and democratic discourse online.
| Signal | Change | 10y horizon | Driving force |
|---|---|---|---|
| Digital boosts | Boosting citizens’ competences to deal with the online world | Increased digital literacy and critical thinking skills | Maximizing human autonomy and reducing online risks |
| Lateral reading and simple fact-checking rules | Boosting cognitive competences in online environments | Improved fact-checking habits and verification skills | Empowering users to distinguish reliable information |
| Inoculation | Boosting cognitive resistance to misinformation | Increased resilience to online manipulation and disinformation | Preemptively exposing individuals to weakened disinformation strategies |
| Self-nudging | Boosting self-governance in digital choice architectures | Enhanced self-control and reduced distractions online | Promoting individual agency and reducing online incivility |
| Critical ignoring | Boosting deliberate ignorance of false information | Improved information filtering and reduced exposure to low-quality content | Reducing the spread of false and misleading information |
| Leveraging epistemic cues | Boosting information quality checking routines | Increased awareness of information source quality and reliability | Encouraging users to verify the credibility of online information |
| Algorithmic transparency | Boosting understanding of algorithmic decisions | Empowering users to customize and control their online experience | Providing users with visibility and control over algorithmic processes |
| Social network literacy | Boosting understanding of online discourse | Improved comprehension of information flow and opinion dynamics | Facilitating informed and constructive online interactions |