Infodemic: Combatting COVID-19 Conspiracy Theories
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Manchester
Department Name: Arts Languages and Cultures
Abstract
Responding to the WHO's warning that misinformation surrounding COVID-19 constitute an 'infodemic', this project will focus on conspiracy theories as a particularly harmful kind of misinformation. Our research will lead to improved strategies for combatting the spread of conspiracy theories in the pandemic. It will use methods from digital humanities and cultural studies to map how these narratives circulate in the online environment during the crisis. We will use data scraping and network visualisation tools on a longitudinal data set extracted from social media platforms in order to identify the mechanisms, vectors and histories of transmission of coronavirus conspiracy theories. We will also employ textual analysis, digital ethnography and political economy to analyse the cultural and political contexts in which these narratives arise. By producing a series of 'snapshot' mappings of this complex online ecosystem, we will be able to analyse how conspiracist misinformation has proliferated during the course of the pandemic, which in turn will enable us to assess the effectiveness of the varying interventions by the social media platforms. We will publish our research findings in a peer-reviewed journal article and short book. In collaboration with the anti-misinformation organisation First Draft, we will communicate our results and recommendations to journalists and the general public in a 'Field Guide to the Infodemic'. Working with the campaigning charity Sense about Science and the Institute of Education, we will produce educational materials for teachers, young people and science communicators confronted with the problem of how to tackle the infodemic.
Organisations
Publications
Birchall
(2022)
Conspiracy Theories in the Time of Covid-19
Gray J
(2021)
"Investigating troubling content on Amazon"
in DataJournalism
Knight P
(2021)
The Return of the Lab Leak Theory
Shane T
(2022)
The rise of "gaslighting": debates about disinformation on Twitter and 4chan, and the possibility of a "good echo chamber"
in Popular Communication
Tuters M
(2022)
Deep state phobia: Narrative convergence in coronavirus conspiracism on Instagram
in Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies
Description | Our digital and cultural analysis of tens of millions of conspiracy theories related to the pandemic posted on social during the course of 2020 showed that: 1. Conspiracy theories are a particularly seductive type of misinformation. They are often connected to a deeply held sense of political identity, and online conspiracy communities reinforce that sense of belonging. 2. Unlike some other of kinds of misinformation, conspiracy theories cannot be combatted by fact checking and debunking alone. Asking a conspiracy theorist to change their mind in effect is asking them to change their sense of identity. 3. Conspiracy theories during the pandemic did not arise from a particular information pipeline. Although deplatforming and other methods of cutting off the supply are at times necessary, they fail to engage with the underlying reasons why people are attracted to conspiracy narratives. 4. The conspiracy narratives that emerged during the pandemic were not new. Most of the basic ideas had been around for a long time, but they were recombined in new ways. In addition, the pandemic produced an unusual convergence between right-wing extremists and lifestyle libertarians, meaning that conspiracy theories can't simply be blamed on a single political group. |
Exploitation Route | Our research will help inform initiatives by policy makers, regulators and social media platforms to curb the spread of conspiracy theories and other forms of mis- and disinformation online. Our recommendations are: 1. Removing conspiracist misinformation and deplatforming superspreaders is important, but will never be enough to really combat the infodemic. We need to consider the reasons for the demand for this content as much as mechanisms of supply. 2. The increasing efforts at removing problematic content taken by social media giants during the pandemic is welcome; however, self-regulation by the industry will never be sufficient. State regulation is necessary, but for there to be buy-in from distrustful communities, it needs to work in partnership with civil society organisations. 3. The infrastructure and business model of social media platforms have fuelled the spread of misinformation, including conspiracy theories. Redesigning the infrastructure and incentives of social media companies is needed to address the problem of misinformation. |
Sectors | Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software),Education |
URL | http://infodemic.eu |
Description | 1. Our research has informed a number of newspaper articles and other media pieces on the problems of online conspiracism during the pandemic. 2. Our research has been sought out by government organisations such as UKHSA. 2. Our guidance on how to talk to conspiracy theorists, written in collaboration with Sense about Science, was their most popular download on their website when it was releaased in 2021. 3. Our report on how to tackle conspiracy theories in the classroom has been used in teacher training at the Institute of Education. |
First Year Of Impact | 2021 |
Sector | Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software),Education,Government, Democracy and Justice |
Impact Types | Societal,Policy & public services |
Description | Expert advice given by project to UNESCO publication on combatting conspiracy theories in the classroom |
Geographic Reach | Multiple continents/international |
Policy Influence Type | Citation in other policy documents |
URL | https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000381958 |
Description | Improving teacher training on tackling conspiracy theories in the classroom |
Geographic Reach | Multiple continents/international |
Policy Influence Type | Contribution to new or improved professional practice |
Impact | See above |
Description | Everything Is Connected: Conspiracy Theories in the Age of the Internet |
Amount | £786,084 (GBP) |
Funding ID | AH/V001213/1 |
Organisation | Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC) |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 09/2021 |
End | 08/2024 |
Description | First Draft digital investigation recipes |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Publication of instructions for journalists doing data research on conspiracy theories and disinformation, in collaboration with First Draft, an organisation dedicated to combatting misinformation. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
URL | https://firstdraftnews.org/long-form-article/digitalrecipes/ |
Description | Panel for launch of Ipsos Mori report on conspiracy theories |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Third sector organisations |
Results and Impact | A panel of experts as part of the launch of Ipsos Mori report on conspiracy theories, informing the public, media professionals and medical practitioners on how to make sense of coronavirus conspiracy theories during the pandemic in the UK. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
URL | https://www.ipsos.com/ipsos-mori/en-uk/tackling-conspiracy-theories |
Description | Panel on "Disinformation and COVID-19 in Historical Context," History & Policy, Institute of Historical Research, London |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | Panel, "Disinformation and COVID-19 in Historical Context," History & Policy, Institute of Historical Research, 27 January 2022. With Alex Aitken (Executive Director for Government Communication, Cabinet Office), Jo Fox (Dean of the School of Advanced Study, Heidi Larson (Professor of Anthropology, Risk and Decision Science and Founding Director of the Vaccine Confidence Project, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine), and chaired by Philip Murphy (Director, History & Policy, Institute of Historical Research, London). |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
URL | https://www.history.ac.uk/events/disinformation-and-covid-19-historical-context |
Description | Panel organised by Policy@Manchester, "How can government combat misinformation around the COVID-19 vaccine?" 4 March 2021 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | Panel organised by Policy@Manchester, "How can government combat misinformation around the COVID-19 vaccine?" 4 March 2021 [panellists included Dorothy Byrne, Editor-At-Large, Channel Four (Chair); James Ball, Journalist and Author; Dr Halima Begum, Chief Executive of The Runnymede Trust; Julian Knight MP, Chair of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee and the Sub-committee on Online Harms and Disinformation] |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
URL | https://www.policy.manchester.ac.uk/activities/events/vaccine-misinformation-panel/ |
Description | Panel organised by the Institute for Government/AHRC |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | Peter Knight on panel organised by the Institute for Government/AHRC, "How can governments combat the spread of misinformation?" 22 March 2021, [panellists include Damian Collins MP, former Chair of the House of Commons Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee; Will Moy, Chief Executive of Full Fact; Marianna Spring, specialist BBC reporter covering disinformation and social media] |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
URL | https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/events/misinformation |
Description | Panel, "Disinformation and COVID-19 in Historical Context," History & Policy, Institute of Historical Research |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Peter Knight on panel, "Disinformation and COVID-19 in Historical Context," History & Policy, Institute of Historical Research, 27 January 2022. With Alex Aitken (Executive Director for Government Communication, Cabinet Office), Jo Fox (Dean of the School of Advanced Study, Heidi Larson (Professor of Anthropology, Risk and Decision Science and Founding Director of the Vaccine Confidence Project, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine), and chaired by Philip Murphy (Director, History & Policy, Institute of Historical Research, London). |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
URL | https://www.history.ac.uk/events/disinformation-and-covid-19-historical-context |