REFLECTION help

Fake News and the effects on the pandemic 1

Fake News and the effects on the pandemic

Laura Olazabal

Professor Michael Rodriguez

Florida International University

IDS 3309

September 29th, 2021

Fake News and the effect on the pandemic

In the first few months of 2020, information and news reports about COVID-19 started trickling in on major and minor media outlets. Before that, there was much talk about a mysterious disease killing the Chinese people in Wuhan. Social media was not left behind on this news. Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram were abuzz with all sorts of speculation and information regarding the mysterious disease. Then when it was officially announced that indeed there is a deadly flu-like disease known as Coronavirus disease (Covid -19), speculations skyrocketed on the causes of the disease.

Covid-19 information was rapidly published on social media and social networking sites, many of which were not factual. The myths surrounding the disease about its causes, symptoms, mode of transmission, how to treat it, and so on were all over the place. Even the mainstream media became part of the buzz since no one knew for sure what facts was and what a myth was when it came to the disease. The COVID-19 pandemic has been the first social media infodemic because of the much fake news regarding the condition (Apuke & Omar, 2021). One fake news that made rounds on social media was that the government was providing a false number of COVID-19 cases because many cases would get more profit and donations, which led to many doubting if COVID-19 was real in the first place.

When fake news is spread wide, many take it as facts, and In the case of COVID-19, there was a lot of disinformation on its causes, some of which were blaming racial groups, illegal immigrants, and even governments for the spread of the virus. Racial profiling became a thing. There were incidents where the Asia descents more so the Chinese looking people were being denied services in restaurants and grocery stores as people believed they were contaminated with the virus (Wen et al., 2020). Social media and the mainstream media played a significant role in spreading fear and panic related to the COVID-19 outbreak worldwide. The fake news negatively influenced people's mental health and psychological well-being.

When credible, factual, and verified information about the COVID-19 pandemic came out, the mainstream media redeemed itself by educating the masses on the facts and myths surrounding the disease. However, just as people were getting to know more about the pandemic; how to prevent it, what to do if one is infected, and just general ways to handle the disease, the vaccine news came out, and another round of fake news regarding the COVID -19 vaccine sparked like wildfires.

There was and still is a lot of fake news going around about COVID-19 vaccines. (Ullah et al., 2021) wrote a paper on the myths and conspiracy theories on Covid -19 vaccines and the potential effect on global vaccine refusal. Almost half of the world's population are hesitant or altogether refuse to be vaccinated due to the many theories they have heard about the effects of the vaccine. The most viral fake news about the vaccines was is that it kills the older generation and paralyzes the younger ones. Another one was that the government uses the vaccine to eliminate the African American people to reduce their numbers and political influence in America. The weirdest one, which is so unbelievable, is that the COVID -19 pandemic and vaccine is a pre-planned project to enable Bill Gates to install trackable microchips on people.

Media and especially social media have played an immense role in keeping vaccination scares alive, even in this era where there is solid evidence of the fortification and effectiveness of vaccines. Different media outlets have been conveying different types of facts about vaccines, which have had a considerable impact on vaccine hesitancy. Controversies on vaccine safety that circulate vigorously in news headlines, talk shows, and popular articles have led to an upsurge in vaccine hesitancy and anti-vaccine behavior in society. In addition to traditional media, the internet has also provided other podiums for various social media to multiple anti-vaccine vocals. Anti-vaccination content on the internet has widely broadcasted rumors, myths, and inaccurate beliefs regarding vaccines, which negatively impact vaccine uptake.

Social, cultural, and political contexts play a vital role. All of these are controlled by the media through the information that is put out there. Fake news has become a thing now, especially in social media, which, by the way, has overtaken the mainstream media as far as news circulation is concerned. If there is one lesson the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us, it is how big fake news can negatively impact the well-being of people worldwide. The anti-vaccine behaviors in our society due to misinformation might potentially derail the COVID-19 vaccine program, leading to more devastating effects of the pandemic. Therefore, the need to diminish fake news is more vital than ever before.

References

Apuke, O. D., & Omar, B. (2021). Fake news and COVID-19: modeling the predictors of fake news sharing among social media users. Telematics and Informatics, 56, 101475.

Carrion-Alvarez, D., & Tijerina-Salina, P. X. (2020). Fake news in COVID-19: A perspective. Health Promotion Perspectives, 10(4), 290.

Ullah, I., Khan, K. S., Tahir, M. J., Ahmed, A., & Harapan, H. (2021). Myths and conspiracy theories on vaccines and COVID-19: potential effect on global vaccine refusals. Vacunas, 22(2), 93-97.

Wen, J., Kozak, M., Yang, S., & Liu, F. (2020). COVID-19: potential effects on Chinese citizens’ lifestyle and travel. Tourism Review.