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Digital Mis/Disinformation and Public Engagement with Health and Science Controversies: Fresh Perspectives from Covid-19

Author

Listed:
  • An Nguyen

    (Department of Communication and Journalism, Bournemouth University, UK)

  • Daniel Catalan-Matamoros

    (Department of Communication Studies, University Carlos III of Madrid, Spain)

Abstract

Digital media, while opening a vast array of avenues for lay people to effectively engage with news, information and debates about important science and health issues, have become a fertile land for various stakeholders to spread misinformation and disinformation, stimulate uncivil discussions and engender ill-informed, dangerous public decisions. Recent developments of the Covid-19 infodemic might just be the tipping point of a process that has been long simmering in controversial areas of health and science (e.g., climate-change denial, anti-vaccination, anti-5G, Flat Earth doctrines). We bring together a wide range of fresh data and perspectives from four continents to help media scholars, journalists, science communicators, scientists, health professionals and policy-makers to better undersand these developments and what can be done to mitigate their impacts on public engagement with health and science controversies.

Suggested Citation

  • An Nguyen & Daniel Catalan-Matamoros, 2020. "Digital Mis/Disinformation and Public Engagement with Health and Science Controversies: Fresh Perspectives from Covid-19," Media and Communication, Cogitatio Press, vol. 8(2), pages 323-328.
    • Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v:8:y:2020:i:2:p:323-328
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Carlos Elías & Daniel Catalan-Matamoros, 2020. "Coronavirus in Spain: Fear of ‘Official’ Fake News Boosts WhatsApp and Alternative Sources," Media and Communication, Cogitatio Press, vol. 8(2), pages 462-466.
    2. Elena Milani & Emma Weitkamp & Peter Webb, 2020. "The Visual Vaccine Debate on Twitter: A Social Network Analysis," Media and Communication, Cogitatio Press, vol. 8(2), pages 364-375.
    3. Hoa Nguyen & An Nguyen, 2020. "Covid-19 Misinformation and the Social (Media) Amplification of Risk: A Vietnamese Perspective," Media and Communication, Cogitatio Press, vol. 8(2), pages 444-447.
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    6. Sarah Kohler & Isabell Koinig, 2020. "Health and Scientific Frames in Online Communication of Tick-Borne Encephalitis: Antecedents of Frame Recognition," Media and Communication, Cogitatio Press, vol. 8(2), pages 413-424.
    7. Xin Zhao, 2020. "How China’s State Actors Create a “Us vs US” World during Covid-19 Pandemic on Social Media," Media and Communication, Cogitatio Press, vol. 8(2), pages 452-457.
    8. M. Carmen Erviti & Mónica Codina & Bienvenido León, 2020. "Pro-Science, Anti-Science and Neutral Science in Online Videos on Climate Change, Vaccines and Nanotechnology," Media and Communication, Cogitatio Press, vol. 8(2), pages 329-338.
    9. Cornelia Betsch & Frank Renkewitz & Niels Haase, 2013. "Effect of Narrative Reports about Vaccine Adverse Events and Bias-Awareness Disclaimers on Vaccine Decisions," Medical Decision Making, , vol. 33(1), pages 14-25, January.
    10. George Ogola, 2020. "Africa and the Covid-19 Information Framing Crisis," Media and Communication, Cogitatio Press, vol. 8(2), pages 440-443.
    11. Asheley R. Landrum & Alex Olshansky, 2020. "Third-Person Perceptions and Calls for Censorship of Flat Earth Videos on YouTube," Media and Communication, Cogitatio Press, vol. 8(2), pages 387-400.
    12. Emily K. Vraga & Melissa Tully & Leticia Bode, 2020. "Empowering Users to Respond to Misinformation about Covid-19," Media and Communication, Cogitatio Press, vol. 8(2), pages 475-479.
    13. Torben E. Agergaard & Màiri E. Smith & Kristian H. Nielsen, 2020. "Vaccine Assemblages on Three HPV Vaccine-Critical Facebook Pages in Denmark from 2012 to 2019," Media and Communication, Cogitatio Press, vol. 8(2), pages 339-352.
    14. Sharon Dunwoody, 2020. "Science Journalism and Pandemic Uncertainty," Media and Communication, Cogitatio Press, vol. 8(2), pages 471-474.
    15. Holger Wormer, 2020. "German Media and Coronavirus: Exceptional Communication—Or Just a Catalyst for Existing Tendencies?," Media and Communication, Cogitatio Press, vol. 8(2), pages 467-470.
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    RePEc Biblio mentions

    As found on the RePEc Biblio, the curated bibliography for Economics:
    1. > Economics of Welfare > Health Economics > Economics of Pandemics > Specific pandemics > Covid-19 > Behavioral issues > Misinformation

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    Cited by:

    1. Jacques Bughin & Michele Cincera & Kelly Peters & Dorota Reykowska & Marcin Zyszkiewicz & Rafal Ohme, 2021. "Make it or Break it: Vaccination Intention at the Time of Covid-19," Working Papers TIMES² 2021-043, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.
    2. Federica Maria Magarini & Margherita Pinelli & Arianna Sinisi & Silvia Ferrari & Giovanna Laura De Fazio & Gian Maria Galeazzi, 2021. "Irrational Beliefs about COVID-19: A Scoping Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(19), pages 1-21, September.
    3. Daniel Catalan-Matamoros & Carlos Elías, 2020. "Vaccine Hesitancy in the Age of Coronavirus and Fake News: Analysis of Journalistic Sources in the Spanish Quality Press," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(21), pages 1-15, November.
    4. Jacques Bughin & Michele Cincera & Dorota Reykowska & Rafal Ohme, 2021. "Big data is decision science: The case of COVID-19 vaccination," ULB Institutional Repository 2013/342494, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.
    5. Vicente Javier Clemente-Suárez & Eduardo Navarro-Jiménez & Juan Antonio Simón-Sanjurjo & Ana Isabel Beltran-Velasco & Carmen Cecilia Laborde-Cárdenas & Juan Camilo Benitez-Agudelo & Álvaro Bustamante-, 2022. "Mis–Dis Information in COVID-19 Health Crisis: A Narrative Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(9), pages 1-24, April.
    6. Daniel Muñoz-Sastre & Luis Rodrigo-Martín & Isabel Rodrigo-Martín, 2021. "The Role of Twitter in the WHO’s Fight against the Infodemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(22), pages 1-13, November.

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