Modeling prebunking strategies to contain misinformation spread

Abstract

We propose a first model describing the impact of prebunking strategies on misinformation dynamics. Following a classical epidemiological approach, the population is structured into interacting functional subsystems, representing individuals with different susceptibility levels. Transitions between subsystems occur with fixed probabilities, while the prebunking strategy is modeled as an external action. A reduced system of equations is derived, and the stability analysis is performed to investigate the effectiveness of the prebunking strategy. Numerical simulations confirm the benefits of interventions in mitigating the spread of fake news, providing insights into digital misinformation dynamics.