The Intersection of Scientific Misinformation on Social Media and the COVID-19 Pandemic and 2022 Monkeypox Outbreak
Date
2023-04-28
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Abstract
The propagation, and rapid increase of misinformation online, resulted in the World Health Organization declaring an “infodemic” in 2020. The 2022 monkeypox outbreak, alongside the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, resulted in new discussions surrounding the current misinformation outbreak online – primarily on social media. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the presence of misinformation online, and the direct impacts misinformation can have on action, for example, racially motivated attacks and profiling, and the burning of 5G towers in Europe. Beginning in May of 2022, the monkeypox outbreak was initially reported as a cluster of cases in the United Kingdom following travel to the African continent whereby the spread of misinformation surrounding the disease followed, with dialogues focused on men who have sex with men. A thematic analysis of Instagram posts under #monkeypox and #justsayno was conducted to critically evaluate the dominant themes present on social media related to both the COVID-19 pandemic, and 2022 Monkeypox outbreak. While posts related to COVID-19 were more likely to be flagged as misinformation, posts related to the monkeypox outbreak were typically classified as anti-misinformation or factual, perhaps signifying a shift, and algorithmic changes, in the way Instagram flags information shared on the platform. By increasing our awareness of misinformation spread, we can work to develop strategies to curb its spread and quantify areas for improvement related to social media algorithms.
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misinformation, infodemic, social media, COVID-19, monkeypox, scientific misinformation
Citation
Dalton, M. E. (2023). The intersection of scientific misinformation on social media and the COVID-19 pandemic and 2022 Monkeypox outbreak (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.