Spread and sources of information and misinformation about COVID-19 early during the pandemic in a U.S. national cohort study

ABSTRACTBackgroundEarly in the pandemic, misinformation about COVID-19 was spread on social media. The purpose of this study was to describe trusted sources of COVID-19 information and claims seen and believed about COVID-19 early in the pandemic among U.S. adults. Then, we assessed the impact of believing such claims on engaging in personal protective actions (PPA).MethodsWe used baseline data from the CHASING COVID Cohort (n = 7,070) collected March 28, 2020 to April 20, 2020 to describe trusted sources of COVID-19 information as well as claims circulating on social media that had been seen and believed. We used Poisson regression to determine the association of believing certain claims with engaging in a higher number of PPA.ResultsThe top three trusted sources of COVID-19 information were the CDC (67.9%), the WHO (53.7%), and State Health Departments (53.0%). Several COVID-19 claims circulated on social media had been seen, e.g., that the virus was created in a laboratory (54.8%). Moreover, substantial proportions of participants indicated agreement with some of these claims. In multivariable regression, we found that belief in certain claims was associated with engaging in a higher number of PPA. For example, believing that paper masks would prevent transmission of the virus was associated with engaging in a higher number of protective actions (β = 0.02, 95% CI: 0.004 – 0.046).ConclusionsResults suggest the need for public health leadership on social media platforms to combat misinformation and supports social media as a tool to further public health interventions.

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COVID-19 as an “Infodemic” in Public Health: Critical Role of the Social Media

Frontiers in Public Health ◽

10.3389/fpubh.2021.610623 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

Author(s):

Debanjan Banerjee ◽

K. S. Meena

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Social Media ◽

Critical Role ◽

Global Public Health ◽

Sources Of Information ◽

Multiple Sources ◽

Health Crisis ◽

Digital Platforms ◽

The Impact

The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has emerged as a significant and global public health crisis. Besides the rising number of cases and fatalities, the outbreak has also affected economies, employment and policies alike. As billions are being isolated at their homes to contain the infection, the uncertainty gives rise to mass hysteria and panic. Amidst this, there has been a hidden epidemic of “information” that makes COVID-19 stand out as a “digital infodemic” from the earlier outbreaks. Repeated and detailed content about the virus, geographical statistics, and multiple sources of information can all lead to chronic stress and confusion at times of crisis. Added to this is the plethora of misinformation, rumor and conspiracy theories circulating every day. With increased digitalization, media penetration has increased with a more significant number of people aiding in the “information pollution.” In this article, we glance at the unique evolution of COVID-19 as an “infodemic” in the hands of social media and the impact it had on its spread and public reaction. We then look at the ways forward in which the role of social media (as well as other digital platforms) can be integrated into social and public health, for a better symbiosis, “digital balance” and pandemic preparedness for the ongoing crisis and the future.

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The Fifth Troll Prerequisite

Cyberwar ◽

10.1093/oso/9780190058838.003.0009 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 141-154

Author(s):

Kathleen Hall Jamieson

Keyword(s):

Social Media ◽

Organic Content ◽

Sources Of Information ◽

Multiple Sources ◽

Social Media Platforms ◽

Voter Models ◽

The Impact ◽

The U.S

Chapter 8 focuses on the fifth troll prerequisite which needed to be met if hacked and Russian-generated content were to influence the U.S. election: was it targeted to reach the desired constituencies? The chapter contends that, despite some arguments against the impact of the Russian troll messaging, the trolls targeted audiences needed to influence the election in both battleground and nonbattleground states, through the use of organic content and paid advertisements. The trolls had access to multiple sources of information about how to reach voters susceptible to mobilizing or demobilizing appeals, including publicly accessible analyses of the candidates’ objectives and tactics, stolen voter models hacked from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and toolkits offered by social media platforms to help identify desired audience members.

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Perceptions of the Adult US Population regarding the Novel Coronavirus Outbreak

10.1101/2020.02.26.20028308 ◽

2020 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

SarahAnn M. McFadden ◽

Amyn A. Malik ◽

Obianuju G. Aguolu ◽

Kathryn S. Willebrand ◽

Saad B. Omer

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Risk Perceptions ◽

Public Perception ◽

The Novel ◽

Sources Of Information ◽

The Public ◽

Health Leadership ◽

The Us ◽

Novel Coronavirus ◽

Public Health Leadership

AbstractBackgroundCOVID-19 outbreak is spreading globally. Although the risk of infection in the US is currently low, it is important to understand the public perception of risk and trust in sources of information to better inform public health messaging. In this study, we surveyed the adult US population to understand their risk perceptions about the COVID-19 outbreak.Methods and FindingsWe used an online platform to survey 718 adults in the US in early February 2020 using a questionnaire that we developed. Our sample was fairly similar to the general adult US population in terms of age, gender, race, ethnicity and education. We found that 69% of the respondents wanted the scientific/public health leadership (either the CDC Director or NIH Director) to lead the US response to COVID-19 outbreak as compared to 14% who wanted the political leadership (either the president or the Congress) to lead the response. Risk perception was low (median score of 5 out of 10) with the respondents trusting health professionals and health officials for information on COVID-19. Majority of the respondents were in favor of strict infection prevention policies to control the outbreak.ConclusionGiven our results, the public health/scientific leadership should be at the forefront of the COVID-19 response to promote trust.

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Spreading (dis)trust in Fiji? Exploring COVID-19 misinformation on Facebook forums

Pacific Journalism Review – Te Koakoa ◽

10.24135/pjr.v27i1and2.1166 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 27 (1and2) ◽

pp. 63-84

Author(s):

Romitesh Kant ◽

Rufino Varea

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Social Media ◽

News Media ◽

Communication Systems ◽

Disease Outbreaks ◽

Infectious Disease Outbreaks ◽

Public Health Emergencies ◽

Lack Of Information ◽

Social Media Platforms ◽

The Impact

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused significant challenges for the health system across the globe and fueled the surge of numerous rumours, hoaxes, and misinformation regarding outcomes, prevention and cure of the virus. The COVID-19 pandemic has also had severe political, economic and societal effects and affected media and communication systems in unprecedented ways. While traditional journalism has tried to adapt to the rapidly evolving situation, alternative news media on the internet have given the events an ideological spin. These voices have been criticised for furthering societal confusion and spreading potentially dangerous ‘fake news’ or conspiracy theories via social media and other online channels. The impact of the disease and the lack of information associated with it have allowed medical misinformation to rapidly surface and propagate on various social media platforms. Previous studies have highlighted a similar trend during recent public health emergencies, mainly the Ebola and Zika outbreaks. Such a phenomenon is alarming on both individual and public health levels to the extent that governments are realising the gravity and attempting to limit its effects. This article offers a unique perspective because it provides data-driven qualitative insights into Fijian Facebook posts related to infectious disease outbreaks. This study aims to understand public views and opinions on Fijian social media during the height of the pandemic in 2020 and to outline potential implications for health information.

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An Analysis of the COVID-19 Infodemic: The Impact of American Public Sources on Sentiment, Conversation, and Physician Behaviour Towards Hydroxychloroquine

STEM Fellowship Journal ◽

10.17975/sfj-2021-001 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-16

Author(s):

Emily W.L. Chan ◽

Ginah Choi ◽

Kendrew S.K. Wong ◽

Shirley Zeng ◽

Anish Verma

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Social Media ◽

Federal Government ◽

Public Attitudes ◽

Health Organizations ◽

Public Sentiment ◽

Research Publications ◽

The Us ◽

Social Media Platforms ◽

The Impact

The COVID-19 infodemic, described as an overabundance of both accurate and inaccurate information, poses a significant public health risk in spreading fear and provoking inappropriate prescription. The overwhelming and often contradictory information on as potential treatments for COVID-19 have contributed to this infodemic. Public sources including the US federal government, health organizations, and research publications have released conflicting statements on the efficacy of hydroxychloroquine. Previous research has not analyzed the influence of these sources on public attitudes and conversation towards the drug. To evaluate this impact, changes in the number and sentiment of tweets tagged with the hashtag or keyword “hydroxychloroquine” from March 12th to June 22nd, 2020 in relation to public sources were analyzed. We found that the US government had a statistically significant influence on public attitudes and behaviour (p < 0.001), unlike health organizations and research publications. Public sentiment on hydroxychloroquine has also been observed to become more negative over time, suggesting that public attitudes towards controversial topics can change. This study also found a positive correlation between public sentiment of hydroxychloroquine and other drugs (i.e. azithromycin and remdesivir) which indicates that public sources disseminating hydroxychloroquine-related information could also affect public attitudes towards related treatments. In a public health crisis, all statements and actions from public sources regarding contentious topics like hydroxychloroquine should be made with caution. To mitigate the disproportionate influence of public sources in an infodemic, we recommend three solutions: (a) education to empower individuals of all ages to develop critical thinking and digital literacy skills; (b) stronger action from social media platforms in labeling misinformation; (c) and cooperation between entities with strong influence (e.g. federal government) and other sources for public health measures. Together, these recommendations could resolve shortcomings existent with a single approach. Future research should be conducted with a custom trained model for sentiment analysis. It would also be valuable to conduct a similar version of the study on other social media platforms as well as for public health issues beyond COVID-19.

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دور الألتمتريقا في قياس تأثير المنتجات العلمية والفكرية: بحثٌ وثائقيٌ

ARID International Journal of Informetrics ◽

10.36772/arid.aiji.2020.112 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 34-69

Author(s):

وليد محمد هيكل

Keyword(s):

Social Media ◽

Web 2.0 ◽

Academic Community ◽

Research Institutions ◽

Sources Of Information ◽

Web Environment ◽

The Social ◽

Social Media Platforms ◽

The Impact ◽

The Web

Altmetrics is one of the recent impact measures to measure all sources of information without bias or exception. These measurements are completely dependent on the Web 2.0 environment to track posts, comments and public discussions around research products in the social media, as they are not only based on reference citations that are considered in the traditional measurements but considered them as one of the factors in a variety of other measurements. Since the start of talking about these measurements, a number of services and tools have emerged which are developed continuously. Like any new field, it has its supporters and opponents due to the restrictions, problems and manipulations that face the application of these measurements. That is why this study targeted the concept of altmetrics and the advantages of their application, the expected disadvantages behind their use, as well as the methods of manipulation used by researchers and publishers and ways to confront them. The researcher has depended on documentary approach to discuss the topic of altmetrics, and then explain the related terms, and describe them accurately. This study found that the altmetrics is one of the new measurements as a branch of the scientometrics stemming from the informetrics. It mainly focuses on capturing, collecting and analyzing data of the impact of research products on the web environment. Therefore, this study recommends the necessity of concerting the efforts of the academic and research institutions to spread awareness of the use and the application of altmetrics in the academic community, as well as encourages the researchers to publish and share their researches on social media platforms.

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