Inoculating an Infodemic

An Ecological Approach to Understanding Engagement With Covid-19 Online Information

Datos Bibliográficos

ID3757441
AutoresShandell Houlden (0000-0003-1873-6609, Royal Roads University, autor de correspondencia), Jaigris Hodson (0000-0002-2235-3718, Royal Roads University), George Veletsianos (0000-0002-6579-9576, Royal Roads University), Christiani P Thompson (0000-0002-8845-1273, University of Saskatchewan), Darren Reid (0000-0002-1589-9608, Department of History, University College London, London, UK)
Año2021
Volumen65
Número14
Páginas1990-2013
Fecha de publicación2021-12-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaAmerican Behavioral Scientist (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0002-7642 • E-ISSN: 1552-3381
EditorialSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/00027642211050903
OpenAlexW3205085813
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas3
Referencias citadas50

As the global COVID-19 pandemic has been concurrently labelled an "infodemic," researchers have sought to improve how the general public engages with information that is relevant, timely, and accurate. In this study, we provide an overview of the reasons why people engage and disengage with COVID-19 information. We use context-rich semi-structured interviews which invited participants to discuss online COVID-19-related content they encountered. This qualitative approach allows us to uncover subtle but important details of influences that drive online engagement. Participants both engaged and disengaged with content for individual and social reasons, with seven themes emerging connected to their engagement including actions in response to information, reasoning for engagement, content, motivating concerns, frequency of engagement with information, site of exposure, and given reason for not engaging. Many of these themes intersected and informed each other. Our findings suggest that researchers and public health communicators should approach engagement as an ecology of intersecting influences, both human and algorithmic, which change over time. This information could be potentially helpful to public health communicators who are trying to engage the public with the best information to keep them safe during the pandemic

Context (archaeology) · Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) · Disease · Geography · Pandemic · Political science · Public engagement · Public health · Public relations · Social media · Sociology · Medicine · Misinformation and Its Impacts · Nursing · Psychology · Public Relations and Crisis Communication · Social Media and Politics