A scoping review of COVID-19 online mis/disinformation in Black communities

Abstract

Background Mis/disinformation has reached an epidemic level with the COVID-19 virus and can be largely attributed to the growing digitalization of information and its rapid transmission via social media. Approximately 96% of Canadians and 80% of Americans report encountering COVID-19 dis/misinformation on at least one social media site/app. COVID-19 dis/misinformation promotes scepticism and a lack of confidence in COVID-19 interventions. Black people have been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of negative impacts on their livelihoods and are also more likely to be hesitant to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Dis/misinformation contributes to high rates of COVID-19 infection and low uptake of COVID-19 vaccination. Hence, the purpose of this scoping review was to map out the nature and extent of current research on COVID-19 disinformation among Blacks in Africa and the African diaspora. Methods We searched and reviewed articles from major databases such as MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CINAHL. Our search strategy involved the following concepts: 1) COVID-19, including variants; 2) misinformation, conspiracy theories, and fake news, and modes of misinformation transmission such as social media; and 3) Blacks or people of African descent, or the African diaspora. We retrieved 600 articles that were independently screened by two researchers. We included studies focusing on 1) Black people living inside or outside Africa; and 2) COVID-19 online dis/misinformation among this population. A total of 19 studies fit our inclusion criteria. We used a thematic analysis to analyse qualitative data. Results Our findings indicate Black people are accessing and often sharing online disinformation and misinformation primarily through social media platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram. Dis/misinformation concerns the origin of COVID-19, transmission, prevention, and treatment of COVID-19, assertions of race immunity to the virus, distrust in government and health organizations, and intervention research and programming. Conclusions There is a global paucity of literature addressing COVID-19 online dis/misinformation among Black people. Dis/misinformation can fuel vaccine hesitancy and threaten the goal of herd immunity. Knowledge of the impact and implications of COVID-19 online dis/misinformation is necessary to inform public health interventions in Black communities.

COVID-19 Immunization Coverage Among People With Sickle Cell Disease

“…These results are consistent with findings from health system–based studies in which fewer than half of patients with SCD completed the vaccination series . Misinformation and mistrust are reasons frequently associated with low COVID-19 immunization completion in the SCD community, which are also common throughout the Black population in the US …”

“…2 Misinformation and mistrust are reasons frequently associated with low COVID-19 immunization completion in the SCD community, 3,4 which are also common throughout the Black population in the US. 5,6 This study has several limitations. First, it began shortly after approval of vaccines for those aged 5 to 12 years, limiting time for immunization uptake in this group.…”

Usability and Credibility of a COVID-19 Vaccine Chatbot for Young Adults and Health Workers in the United States: Formative Mixed Methods Study

“…The internet's continual availability, breadth of coverage, interactivity, and anonymity has made it a preferred health information source [1]; however, it has also propagated the spread of scientifically inaccurate, false, or misleading health information [2][3][4]. The COVID-19 pandemic has taken an enormous toll on human health and social functioning, raising novel and substantial challenges in communicating reliable and dynamically changing health information to a broad and sometimes skeptical public [5][6][7][8][9]. Although COVID-19 vaccines are thoroughly studied, misinformation abounds and is widely shared [10].…”

Systematic Literature Review on Driving Factors of COVID-19 Related Fake News Sharing on Social Media

“…According to the data from the Johns Hopkins University (JHU) coronavirus resource center, as of January 6, 2023, an estimated 662 million people around the world had been afflicted with the virus, resulting in roughly 67 million fatalities. To curb the spread of the pandemic, lockdowns, and isolation orders have been implemented, which increased people's reliance on social media, not only for COVID-19 related information but also for socialization, entertainment, and communication (Kemei et al, 2022). Although the availability of social media provided useful information and valuable prevention strategy, it has resulted in a negative phenomenon named infodemic (Rathore & Farooq, 2020).…”