Biological and Mediated Pandemics, Panic, and Pandemonium

Glimpse ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 55-82
Author(s):  
Paul Majkut ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Class Struggle ◽  
External World ◽  
Fake News ◽  
Oral Storytelling ◽  
Collective Mind ◽  
The Social ◽  
Political Narrative

Plagues have a physical existence. They also have mediated existence. The two are only circumstantially related, for, as is the case of all media and mediation, biological and digital existence do not necessarily correlate accurately, and media are as often used as a lamp to project political and philosophical idealism, that is, propaganda, as they are to serve as a mirror that reflects the external world realistically. Objective journalism, news spin, and fake news, conflated in the collective mind of the populace, are tools in the class struggle to control the social, cultural and political narrative. Plagues have been and continue to be mediated in drama, oral storytelling, in books, printed and manuscript, on the radio, on TV and in films, and in social media while the populace rails against and shouts its rage at TV screens.

scholarly journals Linguistic drivers of misinformation diffusion on social media during the COVID-19 pandemic

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giandomenico Di Domenico ◽  
Annamaria Tuan ◽  
Marco Visentin
Keyword(s):  
Machine Learning ◽  
Social Media ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Fake News ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
Social Media Platform ◽  
The Social ◽  
Media Platform ◽  
Textual Cues ◽  
Twitter Users

AbstractIn the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, unprecedent amounts of fake news and hoax spread on social media. In particular, conspiracy theories argued on the effect of specific new technologies like 5G and misinformation tarnished the reputation of brands like Huawei. Language plays a crucial role in understanding the motivational determinants of social media users in sharing misinformation, as people extract meaning from information based on their discursive resources and their skillset. In this paper, we analyze textual and non-textual cues from a panel of 4923 tweets containing the hashtags #5G and #Huawei during the first week of May 2020, when several countries were still adopting lockdown measures, to determine whether or not a tweet is retweeted and, if so, how much it is retweeted. Overall, through traditional logistic regression and machine learning, we found different effects of the textual and non-textual cues on the retweeting of a tweet and on its ability to accumulate retweets. In particular, the presence of misinformation plays an interesting role in spreading the tweet on the network. More importantly, the relative influence of the cues suggests that Twitter users actually read a tweet but not necessarily they understand or critically evaluate it before deciding to share it on the social media platform.

scholarly journals Automated Classification of Fake News Spreaders to Break the Misinformation Chain

Information ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 248
Author(s):  
Simone Leonardi ◽  
Giuseppe Rizzo ◽  
Maurizio Morisio
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Network Architecture ◽  
Diffusion Mechanism ◽  
Automated Classification ◽  
Fake News ◽  
Neural Network Architecture ◽  
User Classification ◽  
The Social ◽  
Network Topologies

In social media, users are spreading misinformation easily and without fact checking. In principle, they do not have a malicious intent, but their sharing leads to a socially dangerous diffusion mechanism. The motivations behind this behavior have been linked to a wide variety of social and personal outcomes, but these users are not easily identified. The existing solutions show how the analysis of linguistic signals in social media posts combined with the exploration of network topologies are effective in this field. These applications have some limitations such as focusing solely on the fake news shared and not understanding the typology of the user spreading them. In this paper, we propose a computational approach to extract features from the social media posts of these users to recognize who is a fake news spreader for a given topic. Thanks to the CoAID dataset, we start the analysis with 300 K users engaged on an online micro-blogging platform; then, we enriched the dataset by extending it to a collection of more than 1 M share actions and their associated posts on the platform. The proposed approach processes a batch of Twitter posts authored by users of the CoAID dataset and turns them into a high-dimensional matrix of features, which are then exploited by a deep neural network architecture based on transformers to perform user classification. We prove the effectiveness of our work by comparing the precision, recall, and f1 score of our model with different configurations and with a baseline classifier. We obtained an f1 score of 0.8076, obtaining an improvement from the state-of-the-art by 4%.

scholarly journals Loodus tuleb tagasi: delfiinid ja saurused. Libauudistest, photoshop-muistenditest ja meemidest koroonakarantiini ajal

Mäetagused ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 79 ◽  
pp. 167-184
Author(s):  
Eda Kalmre ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Coping Strategies ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Human Existence ◽  
The Other ◽  
Fake News ◽  
The Social ◽  
Truth Value ◽  
Positive Effect

The article follows the narrative trend initiated by the social media posts and fake news during the first months of the corona quarantine, which claims that the decrease of contamination due to the quarantine has a positive effect on the environment and nature recovery. The author describes the context of the topic and follows the changes in the rhetoric through different genres, discussing the ways in which a picture can tell a truthful story. What is the relation between the context, truth, and rhetoric? This material spread globally, yet it was also readily “translated” into the Estonian context, and – what is very characteristic of the entire pandemic material – when approaching this material, truthful and fabricated texts, photos, and videos were combined. From the folkloristic point of view, these rumours in the form of fake news, first presented in the function of a tall tale and further following the sliding truth scale of legends, constitute a part of coping strategies, so-called crisis humour, yet, on the other hand, also a belief story presenting positive imagery, which surrounds the mainly apocalyptically perceived pandemic period and interprets the human existence on a wider scale. Even if these fake news and memes have no truth value, they communicate an idea – nature recovers – and definitely offer hope and a feeling of well-being.

Conclusion

2021 ◽  
pp. 127-132
Author(s):  
Simone Natale
Keyword(s):  
Artificial Intelligence ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Computer Science ◽  
Interface Design ◽  
External World ◽  
The Social ◽  
Social Meanings ◽  
Computer Scientists ◽  
Historical Trajectory

The historical trajectory examined in this book demonstrates that humans’ reactions to machines that are programmed to simulate intelligent behaviors represent a constitutive element of what is commonly called AI. Artificial intelligence technologies are not just designed to interact with human users: they are designed to fit specific characteristics of the ways users perceive and navigate the external world. Communicative AI becomes more effective not only by evolving from a technical standpoint but also by profiting, through the dynamics of banal deception, from the social meanings humans project onto situations and things. In this conclusion, the risks and problems related to AI’s banal deception are explored in relationship with other AI-based technologies such as robotics and social media bots. A call is made for initiating a more serious debate about the role of deception in interface design and computer science. The book concludes with a reflection on the need to develop a critical and skeptical stance in interactions with computing technologies and AI. In order not to be found unprepared for the challenges posed by AI, computer scientists, software developers, designers as well as users have to consider and critically interrogate the potential outcomes of banal deception.

scholarly journals Spreading Fake News in the Virtual Realm in Bangladesh: Assessment of Impact

2020 ◽  
pp. 11-25
Author(s):  
Sharifa Umma Shirina ◽  
Md. Tabiur Rahman Prodhan
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Social Impact ◽  
National Election ◽  
Technological Advancement ◽  
Fake News ◽  
Supersonic Speed ◽  
News Reporting ◽  
The Social ◽  
The World ◽  
Acute Crisis

Fake news is ‘false, often sensational, information disseminated under the guise of news reporting.’ The upsurge of technological advancement, especially social media, has paved the way for spreading fake news. The virtual realm spurs fake news as per the speed of air. Nowadays, fake news has been one of the social problems in the world along with Bangladesh. Self-seeker groups use fake news as an ‘atomic arsenal’ to disseminate their popular rhetoric with supersonic speed for fulfilling male purposes. Fake news is usually rampant during any crisis, elections, and even in campaigns. The hoaxers and fakers exploit the opportunity of the wavering psychology of the social media users, and fake news becomes ‘viral’ on social media, Facebook. Recently Bangladesh has faced an acute crisis of spreading fake news during the ‘Movement of Nirapod Sarak Chai, ‘National election in December 2018’ and very recent ‘need child’s head for Padma Bridge.’ This study titled “Spreading Fake News in the Virtual Realm in Bangladesh: Assessment of Impact” seeks the reasons for spreading fake news and its’ social impact in Bangladesh.

scholarly journals Typology of Business-Related Fake News Online: A Literature Review

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 76-76
Author(s):  
Marko Selaković ◽  
Anna Tarabasz ◽  
Monica Gallant
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Marketing Research ◽  
Fake News ◽  
Crisis Communications ◽  
Web 3.0 ◽  
The Past ◽  
Internet Users ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Media ◽  
Smart Technologies

Internet and social media, as highly interactive platforms, enable two way-communication and content generation which was unprecedented in history. In the past, the media were decisive about content that should be presented, and what public impact it might have (Giessen, 2015). User-generated content provided an opportunity for single Internet users to reach large audiences in the same way as content originating from the traditional mass-media. Web 3.0 and Meta Web introduced a new myriad of available solutions and opportunities (Tarabasz, 2013). Smart technologies and integration networks of Web 4.0, with an ability to detect intentions and goals of the users and offer solutions based on users` preferences and habits (Benhaddi, 2017) are opening an entirely new dimension of the social media: digital identity becomes part of the identity of the Internet users. Keywords: Fake News; Crisis Communications; Online Communications; Management Research; Marketing Research

scholarly journals COMBATING INFODEMIC COVID-19: GOVERNMENT RESPONSE AGAINST FAKE NEWS ON SOCIAL MEDIA

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 255
Author(s):  
Andi Luhur Prianto ◽  
Abdillah Abdillah ◽  
Syukri Firdaus ◽  
Muhammad Arifeen Yamad
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Media Literacy ◽  
Phenomenological Approach ◽  
Public Trust ◽  
Fake News ◽  
Communication Performance ◽  
Government Response ◽  
The Social ◽  
Media Channels

The global commitment to fighting the pandemic is not only about medical and epidemiological work, but also about how information about the disease is disseminated. The threat of the Covid-19 infodemic is no less dangerous than the pandemic itself. The phenomenon of infodemic has distorted the work of science and reduced public trust in state authorities. This research has identified, mapped, and analyzed official government responses to fake news attacks on social media. This study uses an interpretive-phenomenological approach, related to the spread and belief of fake news about Covid-19 in Indonesia. Data analysis uses the Nvivo-12 Pro application, as an artificial intelligence tool to support data exploration from various sources. The results show that the quality of media literacy, public communication performance, and the effectiveness of government regulations have become part of the challenges in mitigating infodemic. The level of public trust in information from social media contributes to the decline in trust in fake news about Covid-19. Stimulation from the social media news that does not control the belief in myths and false information about Covid-19. Content creators who have produced, posted, and shared on social media channels that are less critical, have an impact on the infodemic situation. The solution is to increase media literacy education and the effectiveness of law enforcement in mitigating the infodemic in Indonesia.

scholarly journals Media and Information Technology in Ten Years’ Time: A Society of Control Both from Above and Below, and From Outside and Inside

2015 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jörg Becker
Keyword(s):  
Information Technology ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Social Stratification ◽  
Class Struggle ◽  
Top Down ◽  
The Social ◽  
External Conditions ◽  
The Media ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Society Of Control

In the process of continual change from the hand axe to the factory and now to industrial production 4.0, technology has had, and still has, two basically invariable functions: control and rationalisation. Each of these two terms is to be understood in a very comprehensive sense, in technical, engineering, commercial, legal and also social terms. This tenet also applies to television and to information technology. In my lecture, the terms “above” and “below” stand for a model of social stratification; they stand for capital and labour. The terms “outside” and “inside” stand for the external conditions of the class struggle from “above” and “below”. The external conditions mean the social and the inside conditions mean the psychological environment. Both television and information technology rely on content and organisational forms that run from above to below (from top to bottom). Moreover, contrary to Gutenberg’s invention of moving letters, today innovations in the media and IT fields no longer run from the bottom up, but only from the top down. While television conditions the individual from outside, users of social media internalise that same conditioning as a liberation from constraints.

scholarly journals Conspiracy beliefs and vaccination intent for COVID-19 in an infodemic

PLoS ONE ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. e0261559
Author(s):  
Ali Ghaddar ◽  
Sanaa Khandaqji ◽  
Zeinab Awad ◽  
Rawad Kansoun
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Fake News ◽  
Sources Of Information ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Viral Spread ◽  
The Social ◽  
Conspiracy Beliefs ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Guidelines And Recommendations

Background The massive, free and unrestricted exchange of information on the social media during the Covid-19 pandemic has set fertile grounds for fear, uncertainty and the rise of fake news related to the virus. This “viral” spread of fake news created an “infodemic” that threatened the compliance with public health guidelines and recommendations. Objective This study aims to describe the trust in social media platforms and the exposure to fake news about COVID-19 in Lebanon and to explore their association with vaccination intent. Methods In this cross-sectional study conducted in Lebanon during July–August, 2020, a random sample of 1052 participants selected from a mobile-phone database responded to an anonymous structured questionnaire after obtaining informed consent (response rate = 40%). The questionnaire was conducted by telephone and measured socio-demographics, sources and trust in sources of information and exposure to fake news, social media activity, perceived threat and vaccination intent. Results Results indicated that the majority of participants (82%) believed that COVID-19 is a threat and 52% had intention to vaccinate. Exposure to fake/ unverified news was high (19.7% were often and 63.8% were sometimes exposed, mainly to fake news shared through Watsapp and Facebook). Trust in certain information sources (WHO, MoPH and TV) increased while trust in others (Watsapp, Facebook) reduced vaccination intent against Covid-19. Believing in the man-made theory and the business control theory significantly reduced the likelihood of vaccination intent (Beta = 0.43; p = 0.01 and Beta = -0.29; p = 0.05) respectively. Conclusion In the context of the infodemic, understanding the role of exposure to fake news and of conspiracy believes in shaping healthy behavior is important for increasing vaccination intent and planning adequate response to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic.

Flattening the Curve of Fake News in the Epoch of Infodemic

2021 ◽  
pp. 143-161
Author(s):  
Oluwole Olumide Durodolu ◽  
Collence Takaingenhamo Chisita ◽  
Tinyiko Vivian Dube
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Digital Media ◽  
Research Methodology ◽  
Political Stability ◽  
Fake News ◽  
The Social ◽  
Social Media Platforms

Globally, no country has been spared by the spectre of the COVID-19 pandemic and infodemic that continues to wreak havoc on the socio-economic and political stability of governments and communities. The oxymoronic nature of fake news raises many questions with regards to the issues of authenticity because the concept of news is underpinned by verifiability. While fake news lacks variability, it is surprising that its digital imprint on the social media platforms continues to leave indelible marks that will undermine democracy, responsible journalism, and the benefits of the digital media. It is against this background that this chapter seeks to find strategies to flatten the curve of fake news in the epoch of the COVID-19 pandemic and infodemic, an epistemic challenge. The chapter is based on a positivist research methodology that sought to gather views from the study respondents on their epistemic experiences with fake news amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and infodemic. It seeks to gather views to counter the upsurge of fake news amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

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