Infodemic, Ignorance, or Imagination? The Problem of Misinformation in Health Emergencies

Bibliographic Data

ID2236717
AuthorsJessica Kirk (0000-0002-1006-6658, Griffith University, corresponding author)
Year2024
Volume18
Issue4
Publication date2024-09-30
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueInternational Political Sociology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1749-5679 • E-ISSN: 1749-5687
PublisherOxford University Press (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1093/ips/olae036
OpenAlexW4403014284
LanguageEN
Citations received3
References cited61

In understanding and responding to the problem of misinformation during global health emergencies, health experts and organizations such as the WHO have relied on the concept of the 'infodemic,' or the idea that there is such an overabundance of information that ascertaining trustworthy sources and reliable guidance is difficult. Is this the best way to understand the problem of misinformation, however? A large and multidisciplinary literature has argued that such an approach misses the important role of individual psychological factors and societal 'mega-trends' such as hyperpolarization, structural shifts in the media, and public mistrust in elites. This article argues that such contributions are important in understanding the multifaceted problem of misinformation but may miss another, equally important component: the politics of emergency. Specifically, the prominent role of speculation during moments of emergency-the need to respond to 'what ifs' rather than just 'what is'-provides a conducive context for misinformation, facilitating its production and spread while also problematizing efforts to correct it. The article illuminates this relationship through a discourse analysis of prominent misinformation claims during the US responses to Ebola in 2014 and COVID-19 in 2020

Epistemology · Ignorance · Misinformation · Political science · Sociology · Global Security and Public Health · Law · Misinformation and Its Impacts · Philosophy · Viral Infections and Outbreaks Research

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