A Pandemic of Misinformation

A pandemic of misinformation has accompanied the arrival of COVID-19 in the U.S. Early confusion over how the virus is transmitted, coupled with medical systems short of PPE and overwhelmed with patients suffering from devastating and unfamiliar symptoms, prepared fertile ground in which conflicting narratives could take root and thrive. When we add the way that information spreads on social media to our initial struggles to understand the disease, its causes and its treatments, it is hardly surprising that we are arguing over effective treatments: wearing masks, preserving social distance, quarantining, washing hands and, ultimately, vaccinating the population. Meanwhile, the death toll rises in America, putting us in the unenviable position of having a disturbingly high proportion of coronavirus cases and deaths relative to our population. This event will put ASU expert panelists in conversation, focusing on the way social media facilitates the spread of misinformation and disinformation. Using the coronavirus as an important test case, this panel will address how mis/disinformation spreads and what strategies we might adopt both to recognize mis/disinformation and curtail its spread. This event is cosponsored by the Lincoln Center for Applied Ethics and Institute for Humanities Research.

See also: https://twitter.com/i/status/1320481388169027589

Citation: Elizabeth Langland (Introduction, Moderator), Katina Michael (Speaker, Moderator) with Dan Gillmor and Kristy Roschke, 26 October 2020, “A Pandemic of Misinformation: Social Media in the Age of Coronavirus”, Lincoln Center for Applied Ethics, Institute for Humanities Research.