Why So Many People Believe Misinformation About COVID-19 (And How Communication Theories Can Help Us Change Their Minds)
The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in endless conspiracy theories and misinformation. Social media is littered with armchair epidemiologists spouting theories with no basis in medicine, or science generally. Politicians are treating the virus as if it can be influenced by political whims rather than acknowledging it as the force of nature it is. How do we, as healthcare workers, health communicators, and people concerned for public health, combat the spread of harmful information?
Misinformation is rampant on social media. According to research out of Italy, 46,000 tweets a day linked to misinformation about the COVID-19 pandemic. Some popular theories have since gone quiet(er); initially right-wing politicians aided by Fox News insisted that the pandemic wasn’t real and that COVID-19 was no worse than the flu. Some conspiracy theories persist though, like the idea that the virus was a bioweapon or that obscure (often dangerous) medication regimens can cure COVID-19.
The reasons that people buy into conspiracy theories and misinformation are complicated. But what about people who are victims of this misleading information? Some people spread COVID-19 conspiracy theories because of their distrust of government or the…
