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News on COVID-19
Scholars and public health officials have expressed growing alarm over what some have termed a “misinfodemic” − a parallel epidemic of misinformation − around COVID-19. Indeed, conspiracy theories, from the Plandemic pseudo-documentary to QAnon, fuel rising skepticism about scientific facts across many areas of public life, and in recent months especially with respect to COVID-19. […]
As the nation continues to grapple with the pandemic, we’ve also had to manage a rising “infodemic,” an overabundance of misinformation about COVID-19. Recent Gallup/Knight research shows that a majority of Americans cite social media as a large reason for the infodemic. How are platforms handling and addressing this issue? On Episode 23 of “The […]
This commentary tackles the complex struggles faced by Arab women, including multiple layers of invisibility, marginalization and inequality,[1] all of which have significantly worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic. This examination includes a special focus on how and why the “digital divide,” defined as the gap between the technological haves and have-nots, has been a major […]
By Sahar Khamis & Eliza CampbellHow is the pandemic changing our nation’s social structures? Does access to technology change who can succeed now and in the future? On Episode 22 of “The Future of Democracy,” we’ll talk with Alondra Nelson, president of the Social Science Research Council, a nonprofit, interdisciplinary research network. She’ll share her expertise as a leading thinker […]
As public health officials raise alarms about surging coronavirus cases among young people, new research suggests that Americans under 25 are most likely to believe virus-related misinformation about the severity of the disease and how it originated. […] Source: Young People More Likely to Believe Virus Misinformation, Study Says – The New York Times
By Adam SatarianoFrom August 7 to 26 a group of researchers from Northeastern University, Harvard University, Rutgers University, and Northwestern University conducted their ninth wave of a large, 50-state survey. They surveyed 21,196 individuals across all 50 states plus the District of Columbia. This was the ninth in a series of surveys we have been conducting since […]
By Matthew A. Baum, Hanyu Chwe, Roy H. Perlis, James Druckman, Jennifer Lin & Matthew SimonsonSeveral steps will be necessary to combat COVID-19 misinformation and disinformation campaigns. Private sector specialists in risk communications, advertising, linguistics, and social cognition could collaborate in devising accurate public health information crafted to overcome psychological resistance. Governments could enact regulations that discourage microtargeting of social media advertisements. Government agencies that regulate medical advertising also might expand […]
In early March, when the true scope of the coronavirus pandemic was still widely unknown to the public, misinformation was rampant on social media such as Facebook and Twitter. A recent study examined two early pandemic myths. Researchers from three universities, including Joseph McGlynn, an assistant professor at the University of North Texas’ Department of […]
By Stefan StevensonAs efforts to develop and test a COVID-19 vaccine spur debate around the timing and release of a federally approved vaccine, the share of Americans who say they would get vaccinated for the coronavirus has declined sharply since earlier this year. About half of U.S. adults (51%) now say they would definitely or probably get […]
By Alec Tyson, Courtney Johnson & Cary FunkIn 2020, the world found itself in a precarious position unlike any other in the modern era. The novel coronavirus spread like wildfire across the globe, causing social isolation, economic shutdowns, prolonged illness, and, in many cases, death. No one anticipated struggling through a mammoth global health emergency. It was shocking and horrifying, and there’s […]
By Shauna BowesThe ongoing, fluid nature of the COVID-19 pandemic requires individuals to regularly seek information about best health practices, local community spreading, and public health guidelines. In the absence of a unified response to the pandemic in the United States and clear, consistent directives from federal and local officials, people have used social media to collectively […]
By Ryan J. Gallagher, Larissa Doroshenko, Sarah Shugars, David Lazer, and Brooke Foucault Welles