Concept

Types, Sources, and Claims of COVID-19 Misinformation results

  • independent individuals have increased with the misinformation about COVID-19 by 900% from January to March
  • most misinformation is a reconfiguration of true information where the true information is recontextualized, spun, or twisted rather than completely made up (59% vs 38% in the sample in this study)
  • misinformation from prominent figures such as celebrities and politicians account for only 20% of misinformation but a majority (69%) of engagement
  • most misinformation comes from ordinary people, but these posts get much less engagement
  • largest category of misinformation is about policy and actions of public authorities
  • social media platforms have responded to misinformation by attaching warnings or taking posts down
  • 59% of false posts on Twitter remain, 27% on YouTube, and 24% on Facebook

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Updated 2021-04-29

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CSCW (Computer-supported cooperative work)

Computing Sciences