Infodemic – “Epidemic of Rumours”

The Characteristic Features of the Phenomenon on the Example of the Infodemic Accompanying COVID-19 in 2020

Authors

  • Anna Miotk University of Warsaw

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.51480/1899-5101.16.2(34).272

Keywords:

infodemic, COVID-19, coronavirus, social media, fake news, misinformation, media effects, media audience

Abstract

The purpose of the analysis described in the text was to identify the characteristic features of the infodemic as a phenomenon on the example of the infodemic accompanying the COVID-19 epidemic in 2020. The author began with the definition developed by the World Health Organization in 2018, and traced the earliest scientific studies describing the phenomenon. Then, based on results of the examination of the studies and experts’ comments relating to the COVID-19 infodemic, the author described the main features of infodemic and their indicators. As a result of the investigation, the author decided to add four additional features to the initial infodemic characteristics. This is a new approach to the topic: the scientific literature on the does not contain such detailed characteristics of infodemic and focuses rather on selected phenomena associated with it.

Author Biography

Anna Miotk, University of Warsaw

Anna Miotk is an Assistant Professor at University of Warsaw, Poland. Her research interests include online audience measurement, algorithmic filtering, media influence and media hype.

References

Ahmad, A. R., & Murad, H. R. (2020). The Impact of Social Media on Panic During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Iraqi Kurdistan: Online Questionnaire Study. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 22(5). https://doi.org/10.2196/19556

BBVA Research (2020). Monitoring Covid-19 pandemic using Big Data from the media. Covid-19 impact in mass media information. BBVA Research.

Chao, M., Xue, D., Liu, T., Yang, H., & Hall, B. J. (2020). Media use and acute psychological outcomes during COVID-19 outbreak in China. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 74, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2020.102248

Cinelli, M., Quattrociocchi, W., Galeazzi, A., Valensise, C. M., Brugnoli, E., Schmidt, A. L., Zola, P., Zollo, F., & Scala, A. (2020). The COVID-19 social media infodemic. Scientific Reports, 10(1), 16598. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-73510-5

Ducharme, J. (2020, February 7). News Coverage of Coronavirus in 2020 is Very Different Than it Was For Ebola in 2018. Time.com. https://time.com/5779872/coronavirus-ebola-news-coverage/

Editorial LDH (2020). Pandemic versus pandemonium: Fighting on two fronts. The Lancet Digital Health, 2(6), e268. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2589-7500(20)30113-8

Erku, D. A., Belachew, S. A., Abrha, S., Sinnollareddy, M., Thomas, J., Steadman, K. J., & Tesfaye, W. H. (2021). When fear and misinformation go viral: Pharmacists’ role in deterring medication misinformation during the „infodemic” surrounding COVID-19. Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy, 17(1), 1954–1963. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sapharm.2020.04.032

Erni, J. N. (2008). Almost under the same sky: Reclaiming urbanity beyond an epidemic. Inter­‑Asia Cultural Studies, 9(4), 598–611.

Fontanilla, M. V. (2020). Cybercrime pandemic. Eubios Journal of Asian and International Bioethics, 30(4), 161–165.

Gao, J., Zheng, P., Jia, Y., Chen, H., Mao, Y., Chen, S., Wang, Y., Fu, H., & Dai, J. (2020). Mental health problems and social media exposure during COVID-19 outbreak. PLoS ONE, 15(4). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0231924

Gavgani, V. Z. (2020). Infodemic in the Global Coronavirus Crisis. Depiction of Health, 11(1), 1–5.

Gemius (2020, March 24). Kampania Ministerstwa Zdrowia przyciąga na strony rządowe [The Ministry of Health’s campaign attracts people to government websites]. Gemius.pl. https://www.gemius.pl/reklamodawcy-aktualnosci/kampania-ministerstwa-zdrowia-przyciaga-na-strony-rzadowe.html

Gevers, A. (2020a, March 23). Coronavirus pandemic and online behavioural shifts. Comscore.com – Blog. https://www.comscore.com/Insights/Blog/Coronavirus-pandemic-and-online-behavioural-shifts

Gevers, A. (2020b, May 26). The coronavirus pandemic and future consumer demand. Comscore.com – Blog. https://www.comscore.com/Insights/Blog/The-coronavirus-pandemic-and-future-consumer-demand

Gliwa, S. (2020, March 11). Koronawirus zaatakował 5G, czyli epidemia fake newsów w sieci. Cyberdefence24.pl. https://www.cyberdefence24.pl/koronawirus-zaatakowal-5g-czyli-epidemia-fake-newsow-w-sieci

Gunnlaugsson, G., Hauksdóttir, Í. E., Bygbjerg, I. C., & Pinkowski Tersbøl, B. (2019). ‘Tiny Iceland’ preparing for Ebola in a globalized world. Global Health Action, 12(1), 1597451. https://doi.org/10.1080/16549716.2019.1597451

Hao, K., & Basu, T. (2020, February 12). The coronavirus is the first true social-media “infodemic”. MIT Technology Review. https://www.technologyreview.com/2020/02/12/844851/the-coronavirus-is-the-first-true-social-media-infodemic/

Horton, R. (2020). Offline: Facts are not enough. The Lancet, 395(10224), 546. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30405-0

Hao, K., & Basu, T. (2020, luty 12). The coronavirus is the first true social-media “infodemic”. MIT Technology Review. https://www.technologyreview.com/2020/02/12/844851/the-coronavirus-is-the-first-true-social-media-infodemic/

Husnayain, A., Fuad, A., & Su, E. C.-Y. (2020). Applications of Google Search Trends for risk communication in infectious disease management: A case study of the COVID-19 outbreak in Taiwan. International Journal of Infectious Diseases, 95, 221–223. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijid.2020.03.021

Khan, S. (2020, February 14). Coronavirus: How media coverage of epidemics often stokes fear and panic. Theconversation.com. https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-how-media-coverage-of-epidemics-often-stokes-fear-and-panic-131844

Kouzy, R., Jaoude, J. A., Kraitem, A., El Alam, M. B., Karam, B., Adib, E., Zarka, J., Traboulsi, C., Akl, E. W., & Baddour, K. (2020). Coronavirus Goes Viral: Quantifying the COVID-19 Misinformation Epidemic on Twitter. Cureus, 12(3). https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.7255

Kulkarni, P., Prabhu, S., Kumar D, S., & Ramraj, B. (2020). COVID-19—Infodemic overtaking Pandemic? Time to disseminate facts over fear. Indian Journal of Community Health, 32(2).

Lwin, M. O., Lu, J., Sheldenkar, A., Schulz, P. J., Shin, W., Gupta, R., & Yang, Y. (2020). Global Sentiments Surrounding the COVID-19 Pandemic on Twitter: Analysis of Twitter Trends. JMIR Public Health and Surveillance, 6(2), e19447. https://doi.org/10.2196/19447

Maj, M. (2020, March 16). Jak oszuści wykorzystują koronawirusa do okradania Polaków [How do fraudsters use the coronavirus to rob Poles]? Niebezpiecznik.pl. https://niebezpiecznik.pl/post/oszustwa-na-koronawirusa-to-klasyka-phishingu-i-wyludzen-danych-edukujcie-znajomych/

Mazur, N. (2020, May 2). Eksperci niewiele wiedzą, politycy udają, że nad tym panują. Oj, będą z tego memy [Experts know little, politicians pretend to have it under control. Oh, this will make memes]! Wyborcza.pl. https://wyborcza.pl/magazyn/7,124059,25912372,eksperci-rozkladaja-rece-politycy-udaja-ze-panuja-nad-sytuacja.html

Miotk, A. (2017). Skuteczne social media [Effective social media] (2nd ed.). Onepress.

Molla, R. (2020, March 17). It’s not just you. Everybody is reading the news more because of coronavirus. Vox.com. https://www.vox.com/recode/2020/3/17/21182770/news-consumption-coronavirus-traffic-views

Ni, M. Y., Yang, L., Leung, C. M. C., Li, N., Yao, X. I., Wang, Y., Leung, G. M., Cowling, B. J., & Liao, Q. (2020). Mental Health, Risk Factors, and Social Media Use During the COVID-19 Epidemic and Cordon Sanitaire Among the Community and Health Professionals in Wuhan, China: Cross­‑Sectional Survey. JMIR Mental Health, 7(5), e19009. https://doi.org/10.2196/19009

Petropoulos, F., & Makridakis, S. (2020). Forecasting the novel coronavirus COVID-19. PLOS ONE, 15(3), e0231236. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0231236

PJ. (2020, March 16). Koronawirus i jego wpływ na prędkość internetu [Coronavirus and its impact on internet speed]. Speedtest.pl. https://www.speedtest.pl/wiadomosci/news/koronawirus-wplyw-na-predkosc-internetu/

PBI (Polskie Badania Internetu). (2020, May 8). Polski internet w kwietniu 2020 [Polish Internet in April 2020]. Pbi.org.pl. http://pbi.org.pl/badanie-gemius-pbi/polski-internet-w-kwietniu-2020/

PBI (Polskie Badania Internetu). (2019, May 8). Polski internet w kwietniu 2019 [Polish Internet in April 2019]. Pbi.org.pl. http://pbi.org.pl/badanie-gemius-pbi/polski-internet-w-kwietniu-2019/

PS&P (Press Service & Publicon). (2020). Koronawirus. Raport medialny [Coronavirus. Media report]. Press Service, Publicon.

Public Dialog (2017). Fake news z perspektywy polskich dziennikarzy [Fake news from the perspective of Polish journalists]. Public Dialog.

Rogowska, B. (2020, March 16). Fala fake newsów w dobie pandemii koronawirusa. Naukowcy mają już na to nazwę: „infodemia” [A wave of fake news in the era of the coronavirus pandemic. Scientists already have a name for it: “infodemic.”]. lodz.wyborcza.pl. https://lodz.wyborcza.pl/lodz/7,35136,25793149,fala-fake-newsow-w-dobie-pandemi-koronawirusa-naukowcy-maja.html

Rovetta, A., & Bhagavathula, A. S. (2020). COVID-19-Related Web Search Behaviors and Infodemic Attitudes in Italy: Infodemiological Study. JMIR Public Health and Surveillance, 6(2), e19374. https://doi.org/10.2196/19374

Sell, T. K., Hosangadi, D., & Trotochaud, M. (2020). Misinformation and the US Ebola communication crisis: Analyzing the veracity and content of social media messages related to a fear-inducing infectious disease outbreak. BMC Public Health, 20 (550). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-020-08697-3

Shih, T-S., Wijaya, R., & Brossard, D. (2008). Media Coverage of Public Health Epidemics: Linking Framing and Issue Attention Cycle Toward an Integrated Theory of Print News Coverage of Epidemics. Mass Communication & Society, 11: 141–160. DOI: 10.1080/15205430701668121

Statista.com (2020, April 24). Most popular social networks worldwide as of April 2020, ranked by number of active users. Statista.com. https://www.statista.com/statistics/272014/global-social-networks-ranked-by-number-of-users/

Tarkowski, A. (2020). Internet w czasach pandemii. Czy sieć pomoże nam utrzymać więzi? [Internet in times of pandemic. Will the network help us maintain ties]? Wyborcza.pl. https://wyborcza.pl/7,75968,25802229,internet-w-czasach-pandemii-czy-siec-pomoze-nam-utrzymac-wiezi.html

Vosoughi, S., Roy, D., & Aral, S. (2018). The spread of true and false news online. Science, 359(6380), 1146–1151. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aap9559

WHO (World Health Organization) (2018). Managing epidemics. Key facts about major deadly diseases.

WHO (World Health Organization) (2020). Risk communication and community engagement (RCCE) readiness and response to the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV)..

Zarocastas, J. (2020). How to fight an infodemic. The Lancet, 395.

Downloads

Published

2024-02-22

How to Cite

Miotk, A. (2024). Infodemic – “Epidemic of Rumours”: The Characteristic Features of the Phenomenon on the Example of the Infodemic Accompanying COVID-19 in 2020. Central European Journal of Communication, 16(2(34), 209-223. https://doi.org/10.51480/1899-5101.16.2(34).272

Issue

Section

Scientific Papers