False information and conspiracy theories have always been a part of society but the pandemic has supercharged them. Don’t be fooled.
Didn’t you know? Ninety-nine percent of infected people survive Covid-19. (False.) Wearing masks will make you sick. (False.) The Covid-19 vaccine contains a microchip designed to track your movements. (False.)[1][2][3]
By this point in the pandemic, chances are you’ve heard at least one piece of false information about masks, the virus or the emerging Covid-19 vaccines. Most likely more. This “infodemic[4],” as the World Health Organization termed it, has spread as fast as the virus itself, complicating efforts to contain the spread of the disease and protect the public.
[Every day, Times reporters chronicle and debunk false and misleading information that is going viral online. Read the latest.][5]
“Conspiracy theories appear in every disease outbreak,” said Anna Muldoon[6], co-author of “Covid-19 Conspiracy Theories[7].” The widespread stress and trauma of the pandemic — combined with all the time people are spending indoors, glued to their screens — have supercharged the spread of false information. But there are steps you can take to make sure you and your loved ones aren’t falling for it.
Recognize it’s reasonable to have questions.
Effective false information[8] usually contains a grain of truth. For instance, it’s true that the timeline from identifying SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, and developing successful vaccines, was incredibly short. “I think it’s quite reasonable for people to be a little hesitant,” said Adewole Adamson[9], a doctor and professor at the University of Texas at Austin who studies the impact of race on medical care.
One big appeal of conspiracy theories is that they seem to offer fast, straightforward answers in a way that evidence-based science just can’t. That’s because they’re not beholden to evidence or the truth: Misinformers are free to make up whatever inflammatory material they see fit. Conspiracy theorists have exploited the speed with which the vaccines were developed to make all kinds of claims, many of which sound more believable than movement-tracking microchips.
Rather than reaching for statistics and talking about clinical trials, Dr. Adamson tries to meet concerned patients and friends with understanding and straightforwardness.
Developing most vaccines takes years, and the level of evidence that the Food and Drug Administration relied on to issue an emergency use authorization for the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines is lower than it requires for full authorization. But the Covid-19 vaccines available now are the product of unprecedented scientific concentration and government funding for research.
While those two highly effective F.D.A.-endorsed vaccines have been rigorously tested, however, it’s also true that we have no empirical evidence of their potential long-term impacts, because the disease hasn’t been around long enough. But experts are optimistic. “Based on our experience, it’s likely that it’s safe,” he said.
People of color have poignant historical reasons to be concerned about the government proactively offering them a vaccine. The legacy of medical experimentation on Black people in America stretches far beyond the infamous Tuskegee Syphilis Study.
“Black people don’t want to be treated like guinea pigs,” Dr. Adamson said, “because they’ve been treated like guinea pigs so many times before.”
Be cautious with information you immediately agree with.
Some false information is the product of misunderstanding, but a significant amount of the untrue things you might see online originated with people who intended to mislead. Successful disinformation is designed to play on your emotions. It’s easy to digest and often highly visual, provoking quick, often unthinking reaction. Ms. Muldoon said that moment — the moment when you quickly read something and it confirms your existing biases — is the one to be most wary of. “That’s when we stop thinking,” she said.
Hearing a misleading statistic like the widely circulated rumor that 99 percent of people survive Covid-19 might give some people hope that the pandemic will be over soon, or make them angry that they’ve spent the past year wearing a mask or cooped up inside. But “it’s super important to fact-check yourself,” Ms. Muldoon said. That means reaching outside your bubble for information — especially if that bubble is regularly on social media.
Try to choose your information sources wisely.
A lot of false information isn’t based on factual-sounding statements — it’s based on opinions and interpretations, said Peter Adams, senior vice president of education at the News Literacy Project[10].
As we all know, social media is rife with people ready to give advice. If your house flooded, you probably wouldn’t trust an amateur plumber on Facebook who suggests fixing your pipes with an herbal supplement. But when it comes to health, a lot of people do just that. A major form of false information Mr. Adams sees is “based on user-generated social media posts,” he said.
Avoid “doomscrolling” for information: In other words, don’t just sit in front of a social media feed full of alarming (and questionable) information and let it freak you out. When it comes to health advice, boring is better. Sources you had heard of before the pandemic started — like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, fact-checking websites like Snopes, or even your local doctor’s office — and ones that regularly deliver the same kinds of routine advice (stay home, socialize cautiously, wear a mask) are the best sources of information.
Sources that make confusing, scary, hard-to-track claims that change quickly are probably not reliable. If you see a claim that confuses you, Ms. Muldoon suggests checking other trusted sources to see if they echo the information.
Even if you’re reading a trusted source, Ms. Muldoon emphasizes it’s important to make sure the information is current. We’ve been able to learn a lot more about Covid-19 in the past year, and that knowledge is still adjusting.
Don’t treat your Facebook friends like a trusted source.
During this pandemic, spreaders of misinformation have targeted people by using everything from printed newsletters to viral videos. But you’re most likely, said Mr. Adams, to encounter false information when it’s shared by people you know and care about — even if they’re doing it accidentally. Spreaders of false information are relying on that fact.
It might be tempting to argue with the people you care about who believe this false information and help them see reason. But trying to rebut each point isn’t a useful approach, said Sandra Crouse Quinn[11], a University of Maryland professor of public health who studies false information about vaccines.
Instead, Dr. Quinn suggested being a good digital citizen and trying to proactively share factual information from your own feed. If you choose to engage with other people who might be falling prey to false information, listen to their concerns, she said. Ask people what they think they’ve learned and ask them what they’re worried about. People who feel heard are more likely to be open to having a conversation about an issue they care about.
Don’t be afraid to change your mind.
“We all fall for bad information sometimes,” Ms. Muldoon said. Maybe you once believed wearing a mask to the grocery store would cause your oxygen levels to drop, but research has changed your mind. It’s important to be able to acknowledge when that happens, instead of doubling down on the bad information because of a need to be right.
When you encounter misinformation remember that it exists for the benefit of the misinformer, not to help you — no matter how it’s framed. Some individuals who share or create false information “are just looking for prominence online,” said Mr. Adams. “They’re looking for attention, likes and shares.” Others have been seduced by larger conspiracy theories with long histories, like the anti-vaccine movement, and may genuinely believe they are trying to help.
Ms. Muldoon said stepping away from the Covid-19 news cycle is a healthy and necessary step to take in protecting yourself from the ravages of the infodemic, and it won’t increase your pandemic risk. “The basics of what we need to do aren’t really changing,” she said. Stay at home, social distance, wear your mask, wash your hands and, when it’s your turn, get vaccinated. And instead of trawling social media for Covid-19 information, maybe just read a book.
Kat Eschner is a freelance science and business journalist who lives in Toronto.
References
- ^ survive Covid-19 (www.vice.com)
- ^ make you sick (www.theatlantic.com)
- ^ track your movements (www.cnet.com)
- ^ infodemic (www.who.int)
- ^ Every day, Times reporters chronicle and debunk false and misleading information that is going viral online. Read the latest. (www.nytimes.com)
- ^ Anna Muldoon (sfis.asu.edu)
- ^ Covid-19 Conspiracy Theories (mcfarlandbooks.com)
- ^ false information (en.wikipedia.org)
- ^ Adewole Adamson (dellmed.utexas.edu)
- ^ News Literacy Project (newslit.org)
- ^ Sandra Crouse Quinn (sph.umd.edu)
from NYT > Well https://ift.tt/3afrH3m
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