Global Health Emergencies and Misinformation Campaigns: An Analysis of Corona Virus

As the Guardian puts it, misinformation on the corona virus is the most contagious thing about it.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) is not only battling a virus, it’s also battling the trolls and
fabricated content around it. In many ways, false information has undermined WHO’s capability to
respond to this deadly health emergency. The social media chatter about the deathly disease has
outpaced the virus itself. Misinformation campaign in terms of conspiracy theories, memes and trolls
has spread like wildfire, not to mention dubious health advices from unauthorised sources.

Since the outbreak of the global emergency, several misinformation campaigns have been doing
rounds on the online platforms, leading to fear and uneasiness among its netizens. As the death toll
from the outbreak continues to rise, social media users have started sharing tips on how to prevent
the disease, most of it, misleading that does not match with the advice on the WHO website. It is
worst in developing countries (such as India and Mexico) where the information is being circulated
on WhatsApp and Facebook. Most of these false contents are unrelated to Corona Virus. As it goes
without saying, it is extremely difficult to combat these online false claims. Viral content is
synonymous to a chain reaction: it spreads like wildfire with no link to its original source.

What is important to note here is how the outbreak of a disease has led to a rise in anti-Chinese
sentiments. This can be seen as an act of subtle racism, through memes and trolls, and has serious
repercussion in many different ways. From memes on Pepe the Frog, the beer brand Corona to the
Hazmat Suit, these viral contents have flooded social media. Their outbreak on platforms such as
Twitter and Instagram are mostly dominated by a handful of meme lovers or individuals and even
media outlets and are mostly targeted at attacking the Chinese population.

The online conversation on corona virus has not stopped, and, it should not stop. But, before sharing
any content on this deadly global pandemic, it is necessary to fact check to ensure that what you are
sharing is from a trusted and reliable source.

Source: Business Insider