Infodemia: The role of fake news in COVID-19 as a reinforcer of beliefs and a decrease in the perception of risk of contagion in Colombian society + Truthful web information to entertain and educate about contagion

  • Ramirez Rueda, Luisa Fernanda (PI)
  • Villota, Margarita (Student)
  • Ferroni, Paolo (Student)
  • Pineda, Jose Gabriel (Student)
  • Beltrán Prieto, Camila Alejandra (Student)
  • Segura, Andrea Camila (Student)

Project: Research Project

Project Details

Description

Among the consequences of COVID-19 is the so-called "infodemia", which according to the WHO (2020) 1 refers to the dissemination of fake news, which in turn hinders the adoption of behaviours that prevent the risk of contagion and generates widespread panic among the civilian population. This is a time that merits asking about the beliefs behind these news stories that make them more credible than others in Colombian society.
Objective: to identify factors that predispose people to favourably assimilate (i.e. believe, disseminate, support) fake news about COVID-19 in the Colombian context. A study of social networks will be carried out from March 2020 to September 2020 (start of the preventive measures and end date where the measures became more permissive).
Methodology: qualitative network study that will focus on exploring and analysing twitter interactions based on the fake news identified and related to the pandemic (care, risk of contagion, characteristics of the disease, ways to prevent contagion, etc.).
To support the verification of information, the websites Colombia Check, La Silla Vacía 2 and academic articles in specialised journals will be visited. From the first sampling of news items, common themes will be sought in order to explain which are the recurrent factors that predispose people to assimilate them more favourably (understanding favourability as the number of interactions, comments, number of times shared and whether or not people believe in the news item). With this information, the type of interactions (discourses, beliefs) that are promoted to strengthen the credibility of the news among people will be analysed. Finally, with the aim of promoting care and questioning current beliefs based on fake news about COVID-19 a website is intended to host diverse content: interviews (reacting to the news), quizzes that question fake news and the results of the research so that they can be easily disseminated and contribute to the country in these times of uncertainty.

Keywords

Fakenews, social media, COVID-19

Commitments / Obligations

Creation of a web page that allows civil society interaction where the population answers yes or no to beliefs about COVID-19 and what practices they have carried out.
Present audiovisual resources that demystify beliefs and myths that civil society may have acquired about COVID-19 as a result of the influence of the media or social networks.
Participation in academic events such as congresses, publications or papers that allow the dissemination of the research and its importance in the context, given that it is a phenomenon that has marked a large part of the national population.
Two research articles: one focused on a literature review on fake news and the other on the results and characteristics that favour the assimilation of fake news.
Short titleFake news en la Pandemia
StatusFinished
Effective start/end date5/14/218/30/23

UN Sustainable Development Goals

In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This project contributes towards the following SDG(s):

  • SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being

Main Funding Source

  • Competitive Funds
  • Incubator

Location

  • Bogotá D.C.

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