AGENTS OF INFLUENCE
A Video Game to Combat Misinformation
Anahita Dalmia is a Rotaractor/ Rotarian duel member in District 5320 and a 3rd generation Rotarian. She’s been working on a project called Agents of Influence - an educational videogame that aligns with the 4 way test and teaches students to think critically and seek the truth to make responsible, informed decisions. They are looking to partner with Rotary Clubs and educational organizations to make an impact using this game. The goal is to have 100 Rotary Clubs by December with at least one pilot in each State, with a larger representation in California. Currently they have about 20 Rotary Partnerships and are working with 4 School Districts, including Fullerton. They are officially supported by Rotary District 5320.
The Problem
During the pandemic, I started to realize how dangerous misinformation is. As the 4 Way Test suggests, if the information is not true, how can we make decisions that are fair and beneficial to all concerned? I recently found this article on Polio claiming vaccines cause more polio than wild polio, which when blindly believed dissuades from supporting vaccines. Misinformation also promotes disbelief towards climate change and it has been common cited as a threat to democracy, severely affecting global peace. If people blindly believe misleading information, it jeopardizes our futures as a nation and world.
Our Solution
It’s crucial to enable people to think critically for us to overcome this problem together. To this end, we have designed a game called Agents of Influence to equip the next generation to evaluate information critically, especially on the internet. So far, we already working with 4 School Districts, over 20 Rotary Clubs across the US to instill this program locally and officially have the support of district 5320. We also recently won the Aspen Institute’s Competition for Information Disorder and have established a research partnership with Stanford and MIT for the program.
The Goal:
Our goal is to have 100 Rotary Clubs across the country to adopt this program in collaboration with their local communities (Interact Clubs, Schools, Boys and Girls Club, etc.) by the end of 2022 so we can start a movement that enables the next generation to be more responsible digital citizens. We want to have at least one pilot in every state to get strong representation in our initial sample. Through this, we will train students to constantly ask ‘Is it the truth?’, equip them with the skills to find out and enable them to make responsible, informed decisions.
Further Information:
You can find further information on the game and how you can help below in either the 15 minute presentation or short flyer. You can also email Anahita Dalmia at anahitadalmia@gmail.com - Anahita is a Rotaractor/ Rotarian duel member in District 5320 and a 3rd generation Rotarian.
Rotary Presentation Video (M): https://bit.ly/RotaryNPPrez
Two page flyer: https://bit.ly/AoI2Pager