The Role of Twitter in the WHO’s Fight against the Infodemic

Datos Bibliográficos

ID15466151
AutoresDaniel Muñoz Sastre (0000-0002-1136-5289, Universidad de Valladolid), Luis Rodrigo Martín (0000-0003-0580-9856, Universidad de Valladolid), Luis Rodrigo-Martín (Campus María Zambrano, Universidad de Valladolid, 40005 Segovia, Spain), Isabel Rodrigo Martín (0000-0001-8349-5093, Universidad de Valladolid, autor de correspondencia)
Año2021
Volumen18
Número22
Páginas11990-11990
Fecha de publicación2021-11-15
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaInternational Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 1661-7827 • E-ISSN: 1660-4601
EditorialMultidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (PUBLISHER • CH)
DOI10.3390/ijerph182211990
PMID34831745
OpenAlexW3212459701
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas3
Referencias citadas33

The COVID-19 pandemic has far-reaching consequences in various fields. In addition to its health and economic impact, there are also social, cultural and informational impacts. Regarding the latter, the World Health Organization (WHO) flagged concerns about the infodemic at the beginning of 2020. The main objective of this paper is to explore how the WHO uses its Twitter profile to inform the population on vaccines against the coronavirus, thus preventing or mitigating misleading or false information both in the media and on social networks. This study analyzed 849 vaccine-related tweets posted by the WHO on its Twitter account from 9 November 2020 (when the 73rd World Health Assembly resumed) to 14 March 2021 (three months after the start of vaccination). In order to understand the data collected, these results were compared with the actions carried out by the WHO and with the information and debates throughout this period. The analysis shows that the WHO is decidedly committed to the use of these tools as a means to disseminate messages that provide the population with accurate and scientific information, as well as to combat mis- and disinformation about the SARS-CoV-2 vaccination process

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19 · Disease · Disinformation · Dissemination · Environmental health · Health communication · Information Dissemination · Internet privacy · Misinformation · Pandemic · Political science · Population · Public relations · Social media · Vaccination · World Wide Web · Computer Science · Media Influence and Politics · Medicine · Misinformation and Its Impacts · Vaccine Coverage and Hesitancy · Virology