COVID-19 Communication Ecology: Visualizing Communication Resource Connections During a Public Health Emergency Using Network Analysis

Institutional and non-institutional news trust as predictors of COVID-19 beliefs: Evidence from three European countries

The COVID-19 pandemic was accompanied by an infodemic in which trust in news played an essential role. This article analyzes how this trust can be divided into two components, institutional and non-institutional, which are differentially related to beliefs about COVID-19 and perceptions of receiving misinformation and disinformation. Based on a survey conducted in three European countries (Germany, Spain, and the United Kingdom), the study confirms that higher levels of institutional news trust (the trust dimension correlated more with trust in the news media, government, politicians, national and global health organizations, and scientists) are a good predictor of both better knowledge of COVID-19 myths and misstatements, and lower perceptions of being surrounded by false and misleading information about the virus. The research also highlights the special role of media and political sources in strengthening the institutional dimension of news trust.

Why do people believe health misinformation and who is at risk? A systematic review of individual differences in susceptibility to health misinformation

RATIONALE

Health misinformation poses a significant threat to public health. Understanding why people believe health misinformation and who is at risk is crucial for developing effective interventions to reduce the harmful impact of misinformation.

APPROACH

We conducted a systematic review of published empirical research that examined individual differences in susceptibility to health misinformation, focusing on the psychological, demographic, and behavioral correlates of health misinformation susceptibility. To guide our review on psychological correlates, we developed an integrative psychological model of susceptibility to health misinformation based on one's ability and motivation to reason.

RESULTS

We identified 47 publications (61 empirical studies) that met our criteria. Our review suggests that subject knowledge, literacy and numeracy, analytical thinking (vs. intuitive thinking), and trust in science confer strong resistance to health misinformation, whereas conspiracy thinking, religiosity, conservative ideology, and conservative party identification are associated with more susceptibility to health misinformation. Demographically, older age and higher educational attainment predict less susceptibility to health misinformation, whereas racial minority status is associated with greater susceptibility. Behaviorally, relying on health professionals or scientists as information sources predicts less susceptibility to health misinformation, whereas social media use is associated with greater susceptibility.

CONCLUSIONS

Susceptibility to health misinformation is driven by multiple psychological processes. Interventions for reducing the spread and impact of health misinformation should be tailored to the psychological mechanism underlying susceptibility to health misinformation. Limited resources should be used to support interventions targeted at individuals at risk.

Social science approaches to infodemiology: understanding the social, political, and economic context of information

Embedded within the COVID-19 pandemic is the spread of a new pandemic of information – some accurate, some not – that can challenge the public health response. This has been termed an ‘infodemic’ and infodemic management is now a major feature of the World Health Organization’s work on health emergencies. This commentary highlights political, social, and economic aspects of infodemics and posits social science as critical to mitigating the current infodemic and preventing future ones. Infodemic managers should address the wider context of infodemics if we are to understand narratives, help to craft positive ones, and confront the root causes of misinformation rather than just the symptoms.

Examining the information seeking and sharing activities in a virtual community of librarians

The study examines the information exchange activities among librarians when communicating in a virtual community. Specifically, the study explores the kind of information librarians seek or share in a virtual community. The study also explores how librarians react to the shared or sought-for information in a virtual community. This study was carried out on 50 librarians in community of practice on a WhatsApp platform. Netnography as a research design was used in this study. Data were analysed using thematic content analysis techniques. The findings show that librarians share information that encourage and support one another. The findings also show that librarians share and seek related information on career and institutional work, thought-provoking information and personality quotes. In reaction to the shared information, librarians peruse shared information for their authenticity. Librarians share appreciative messages in reaction to the sharing of important and educative information. In the situation of misinformation or where suspicious information is shared, librarians counter the shared information in reaction by posting messages cautioning librarians to beware of scam.