For many people, it’s difficult to understand why so many COVID-19-related hoaxes and conspiracies are circulating online and in mainstream media. It’s important to know how such theories arise, and what you can do to protect yourself from misinformation.
Conspiracy theories arise from the desire to make sense of complex and frightening topics. When confronted by an event as stressful and uncertain as a pandemic, people want to understand how and why it’s happening in ways that aligns with their preconceptions of how the government, media, and world at large operate. Individuals will form ideas grounded in their own biases and the information most readily available to them, which can include internet forums and news outlets with debatable credibility. These radical ideas can cause fear in others, which perpetuates the cycle of conspiracy generation and propagation.
Unfortunately, social media platforms provide a means for the wide-scale dissemination of unverified, false, and/or intentionally misleading information. Many online forums lack the resources needed to substantiate every claim made by their users, which allows misinformation to spread. Some social media platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter, have introduced systems that flag dubious posts about COVID-19 and vaccination; this allows users to critically evaluate the content they’re consuming. Despite this, the ever-changing news cycle – and input from friends and family – can make even the most logical people question what they believe about the pandemic and its social, political, and economic consequences.
There are many ways you can protect yourself from falling for a hoax. When you encounter questionable COVID-19 content on social media or through a news outlet, here are some questions to ask yourself about the information presented to you:
- Does the headline match the content? Many news organizations will exaggerate or sensationalize their headlines to attract – and often, persuade – readers. Reading into the article and drawing your own conclusions helps prevent the headline being your only take-away from the article.
- Who is making these claims? Take claims from unverified sources with a grain of salt and try to find out more about their author(s). By taking a look at the credentials and background of the content creator(s), you can begin to evaluate whether they are likely to be a provide reputable information about COVID-19.
- If they are a journalist, are they employed by a non-partisan news organization, or a freelancer writing for an independent, politically biased web forum?
- Are they an official spokesperson for a government-regulated agency, or are they a member of the public speaking from personal experience?
- Where is the information coming from? There are many different places information can be found online, but not all sources are created equal.
- Social media platforms are not news organizations – when looking for information on COVID-19, Facebook should not be your primary resource!
- News organizations often have a social media presence, but it is important to verify that the content you’re reading is from a real organization and not a copycat account.
- Articles can be unbiased reports or opinion-based editorials – make sure to confirm which type of article you’re reading!
- Education =/= verification. Professionals with experience in immunology, epidemiology, and virology may comment on COVID-19 – but professionals are still people with biases and personal beliefs! Take a minute to investigate their claims instead of taking them at face value.
- What is its purpose? Information can be conveyed to educate, persuade, entertain, and even peddle sales! Understanding who benefits from a particular article, post, or comment can help you assess whether you’re consuming unbiased material, or something meant to push a particular agenda.
- Is the author purposely excluding facts or arguments that contradict their ideals, or are they presenting a balanced viewpoint?
- Does the content seem hyperbolic and exaggerative, or is it written from an impartial perspective?
- Are facts or events being “cherry-picked” to construct a convincing narrative?
- Look for phrases such as “sponsored content”, “native advertising”, or hashtags like #ad and #sponsored – these indicate that the author of the post/article has been paid to create this content for an organization or company
- Tone is everything! Some websites make content that is intentionally satirical – take a good look at the source before taking the content to heart!
Additional Resources:
SPOT Fake News Online – Developed by News Media Canada, this program provides Canadians with the resources – and a catchy pneumonic! – to avoid falling victim to fake news:
S – Is this a credible Source?
P – Is the Perspective biased?
O – Are Other sources reporting the same story?
T – Is the story Timely?
How to Spot Fake News – This comprehensive guide, created by the Toronto Public Library, is a great reference tool for dissecting questionable content online.
FactCheck.org – Run by the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania, this U.S.-based website verifies claims made by U.S. officials in the news and on social media. Its broad scope includes fact checking for COVID-19-specific claims, as well as those concerning politics, healthcare, and the economy.