In order to reduce feelings of uncertainty; people engage in inappropriate behavior and seek information everywhere. A variety of “experts” discuss the pandemic, the economy, world conspiracies and the pedals of semi-information and fake news complement the public anxiety. Concerned public is gullible. The misinformation virus is as dangerous and as fast as Covid-19.
Author: Katerina Topalova
The World Health Organization has identified the existence of “infodemia” or overuse of information. They can be factual, fictional or fake and represent a serious obstacle in the war against the spread of coronavirus.
Social media is a well-known area of misinformation and political propaganda. It is a place where everthing often appears bombastic – news, information, rumors, panic, anger and all the emotions people deal with in a pandemic.
We are witnessing a pandemic which is unfolding through our digital screens, mediated by information from credible to extremely unreliable sources, ever-present trolls, bots and algorithms fueled by social behavior similar to mobile telephony.
While you are at home, to minimize the spread of the virus, you have to fight another battle – practicing wakefulness and critical thinking on social media that can save lives.
In order to reduce feelings of uncertainty, people engage in inappropriate behavior and seek information everywhere. Various “experts” are discussing the pandemic, the whole economy, all the measures and the pedals of semi-information and fake news complement the public anxiety. Concerned public is gullible.
This is a time of crisis; the audience is actually desperately searching for a place to find what is most accessible to them, but also most appealing to the ear. False news and conspiracies at times like this are more interesting than the news itself.
Information warfare does not know about a pandemic. We need to learn to avoid the misinformation virus.
The world has come to a standstill as countries have closed their borders, restricted mobility and all economic activity to destroy the Covid-19 pandemic.
Everyone took a break – except for the misinformation machine. False news and false information feel just like coronavirus and are just as dangerous. They are also difficult to detect. Initially the stakes are low, but when left without supervision they can be highly contagious as they spread rapidly across social networks.