Frequently Asked Questions

Hopvertising, Our Campaign & The Invent2Prevent Program

What is Hopvertising?

Hopvertising is a student-led integrated marketing agency composed of undergraduate students from the Advertising and Integrated Marketing Communications course at Johns Hopkins University. The agency is led by Co-CEOs who oversee six departments: Research, Campaign Strategy & Implementation, Public Relations/Social Media, Advertising/Multimedia, Finance, and Reports and Presentations

Why does the Invent2Prevent Program Exist?

Hopvertising has created its campaign against misinformation and targeted violence for the Invent2Prevent program because incidents of targeted violence and terrorism emboldened by misinformation have devastating consequences, i.e. the January 6th Capitol Riot. This campaign seeks to bring awareness to this issue and develop a tool to dispel the root causes of such events.

Does this campaign reflect a political agenda?

No, the campaign seeks to engage with users objectively. All information presented is designed to be apolitical. Misinformation can be rooted in ideology from across the political spectrum and if unchecked, has the potential to influence individuals of any belief-system to commit acts of targeted violence and terrorism (TVT).

Misinformation & Targeted Violence & Terrorism (TVT)

What is misinformation?

Misinformation, sometimes referred to as disinformation, is false or inaccurate information, especially that which is deliberately intended to deceive. Misinformation is especially dangerous in today's online, globalized world due to the interconnectedness and largely unchecked nature of social and other Internet media.

What is targeted violence and terrorism?

Targeted violence refers to any incident of violence that implicates homeland security and/or U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) activities, and in which a known or knowable attacker selects a particular target prior to the violent attack. Terrorism refers to any activity involving a criminally unlawful act that is dangerous to human life or potentially destructive of critical infrastructure or key resources, and that appears intended to intimidate or coerce a civilian population, to influence government policy by intimidation or coercion, or to affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination, or kidnapping.

What does misinformation have to do with targeted violence and terrorism?

Misinformation can inspire individuals to commit acts of targeted violence and terrorism on the basis of a false pretense. Misinformation online can easily translate into violence when levels of digital/social media literacy are low and individuals have difficulty discerning between false and true narratives. For instance, in 2019, 50 people attacked a Roma slum and set fire to their cars, acting on a baseless rumor spread via Facebook and Snapchat that the Roma community was kidnapping French women and children (Funke 2019).

About the myBIAS Quiz

What is the myBIAS quiz?

The Balanced Information Assessment Scale, or myBIAS Quiz, is a tool that will allow participants to self-assess their likelihood to believe false information. It can be compared to the Myers-Briggs Personality Test, but rather than identifying one's psychological preferences, it will identify one's propensity to be misled by misinformation. Through a series of questions, the myBIAS quiz will determine how susceptible the user is to false information, identify areas of improvement, and suggest resources for growth.

Why is this an effective tool for rooting out misinformation and TVT?

One of the most significant dangers of misinformation is that those influenced by it often do not know that they are reading or sharing misinformation. The myBIAS Quiz seeks to bring awareness to the fact that anyone can fall victim to misinformation. It is also an entertaining tool to garner enthusiasm about his topic and drive traffic to the campaign's other resources and events.