The COVID-19 social media infodemic

Abstract

We address the diffusion of information about the COVID-19 with a massive data analysis on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Reddit and Gab. We analyze engagement and interest in the COVID-19 topic and provide a differential assessment on the evolution of the discourse on a global scale for each platform and their users. We fit information spreading with epidemic models characterizing the basic reproduction number $$R_0$$ R 0 for each social media platform. Moreover, we identify information spreading from questionable sources, finding different volumes of misinformation in each platform. However, information from both reliable and questionable sources do not present different spreading patterns. Finally, we provide platform-dependent numerical estimates of rumors’ amplification.

Circular Economy and Relationship-Based View

“…The first part of 2020 has been dominated by the coronavirus Sars-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic. The repercussions of such a huge healthy emergency have impacted economies and societies everywhere in the world, modifying people's everyday lives as well as markets and business relationships (Cinelli et al, 2020). Global lockdown and protective measures, including the interruption of transport and the closure of retail shops, with the exception of supermarket chains and pharmacies, have caused severe threats to local businesses, especially the smaller ones that were relying on local suppliers and customers.…”

COVID-19 en las portadas de los diarios de difusión nacional en España.

“…Las especiales características del tratamiento informativo de esta crisis por el uso de redes sociales (Pérez-Dasilva et al, 2020), la viralización de bulos y la infoxicación y sobreinformación (Masip et al, 2020), ha sido reflejado en un término de nuevo cuño, infodemia o infodemic en inglés, que ya ha sido objeto de algunos artículos (Cinelli et al, 2020). El exceso y la baja calidad de la información repercute en la visión distorsionada de una situación crítica provocada por una enfermedad infecciosa que suele derivar en una alerta exagerada en la población que produce temor e incertidumbre y llega a todos los ámbitos desde el social al económico pasando por el político.…”

COVID-19 in Italy and issues in the communication of politics: bridging the knowledge-behaviour gap

“…Our paper discusses the role of institutional communication of politics in supporting the current COVID-19 emergency and the upcoming crisis and related challenges that organisations will necessarily soon face. Based on the contents and timing of the various institutional communications of politics broadcast throughout Italy during the health emergency of COVID-19 -which we have longitudinally analysed from January to April 2020 -we aim to outline the perils of deficiencies in information and knowledge (henceforth under-communication) as well as excessive, confused and uncertain information and knowledge, or over-communication, also known as an infodemic (Cinelli et al, 2020;Zarocostas, 2020). In doing so, we will attempt to enrich the concepts of over-and under-communication.…”