COVID-19, 5G conspiracies and infrastructural futures

Meese, James; Frith, Jordan; Wilken, Rowan

doi:10.1177/1329878x20952165

Cited by 66 publications

(58 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…Belief in conspiracy theories has been associated with hostility 145,146 , support for violence 147 , and everyday crimes 114 . COVID-19 conspiracy theories are no exception: Since the spread of the theory that COVID-19 is caused or spread by 5G technologies, there have been numerous public demonstrations, documented cases of abuse of technicians at mobile phone towers, and arsons 148 . 5G…”

Section: Protective Behavioursmentioning

confidence: 99%

Antecedents and consequences of COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs: a systematic review

Mulukom¹,

Pummerer²,

Alper³

et al. 2020

Preprint

100

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COVID-19 conspiracy theories emerged almost immediately after the beginning of the pandemic, and the number of believers does not appear to decline. Believing in these theories can negatively affect adherence to safety guidelines and vaccination intentions, potentially endangering the lives of many. Thus, one part in successfully fighting the pandemic is to understand the antecedents and consequences of COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs, which are here presented in a rapid review summarizing research from more than 28 countries. We evaluate the contribution of individual difference variables (demographic variables, personality traits, coping with threat and uncertainty), beliefs, biases, and attitudes (epistemically suspect beliefs, thinking styles and cognitive biases, attitudes towards science), and social factors (group identities, trust in authorities, social media) to COVID-19 conspiracy theories. We discuss the consequences of COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs in regard to safeguarding behaviours (hygiene, distancing, and mask-wearing), self-centred (hoarding) and misguided behaviours (pseudoscientific practices), vaccination intentions, mental health and negative social consequences (e.g., discrimination and violence). Differences between countries as well as various conspiracy theories are considered. Summarising, we suggest that belief in COVID-19 conspiracy theories is boosted by low levels of trust in a context of threat and low levels of comprehensive, accessible information in a context of uncertainty and unknowns. We conclude that research is urgently needed to address potential interventions to (re-)establish trust and provide accessible information about COVID-19.

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Section: Protective Behavioursmentioning

confidence: 99%

Antecedents and consequences of COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs: a systematic review

Mulukom¹,

Pummerer²,

Alper³

et al. 2020

Preprint

100

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…COVID-19 news reporters and creators and sharers of social media content have been subjected to continual criticism for disseminating misleading or false information. The term 'infodemic' has been used in some popular media outlets and academic analyses to describe the wealth of 'fake news' and conspiracy theories circulating, particularly in online news sites and social media platforms [16][17][18][19][20].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Learning about COVID-19: a qualitative interview study of Australians’ use of information sources

Lupton

Lewis

2021

BMC Public Health

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Background A multitude of information sources are available to publics when novel infectious diseases first emerge. In this paper, we adopt a qualitative approach to investigate how Australians learnt about the novel coronavirus and COVID-19 and what sources of information they had found most useful and valuable during the early months of the pandemic. Methods In-depth semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with a diverse group of 40 Australian adults in mid-2020 about their experiences of the COVID-19 crisis. Participants were recruited through Facebook advertising. Detailed case studies were created for each participant, providing the basis of a thematic analysis which focused on the participants’ responses to the questions about COVID-19-related information sources. Results Diverse sources of COVID-19-related information, including traditional media, online media and in-person interactions, were actively accessed, appraised and engaged with by participants. There was a high level of interest in COVID-19 information as people grappled with uncertainty, anxiety and feeling overwhelmed. Certain key events or experiences made people become aware that the outbreak was threatening Australia and potentially themselves. Most people demonstrated keen awareness that misinformation was rife in news outlets and social media sites and that they were taking steps to determine the accuracy of information. High trust was placed in health experts, scientists and government sources to provide reliable information. Also important to participants were informal discussions with friends and family members who were experts or working in relevant fields, as well as engaging in-person in interactions and hearing from friends and family who lived overseas about what COVID-19 conditions were like there. Conclusion A constantly changing news environment raises challenges for effective communication of risk and containment advice. People can become confused, distressed and overwhelmed by the plethora of information sources and fast-changing news environment. On the other hand, seeking out information can provide reassurance and comfort in response to anxiety and uncertainty. Clarity and consistency in risk messaging is important, as is responding quickly to changes in information and misinformation. Further research should seek to identify any changes in use of and trust in information sources as time goes by.

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“…However, the storming of the US Capitol was only a tip of an iceberg; the unfolding COVID-19 pandemic showed us repeatedly that conspiracy beliefs are associated with dire negative social consequences, such as discrimination of Asian people (e.g. avoiding eating at Asian restaurants in the wake of the pandemic; van Mulukom, 2020), arson attacks on 5G masts (Jolley & Paterson, 2020;Meese et al, 2020), or anti-government protests against preventive regulations across European countries (e.g. Bradley et al, 2020, August 29).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Finding someone to blame: The link between COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs, prejudice, support for violence, and other negative social outcomes

Šrol¹,

Cavojova²,

Eb³

2021

Preprint

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One of the appeals of conspiracy theories in times of crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, is that they provide a scapegoat – someone to blame for what has happened. By doing this, they increase distrust, negative feelings, and even hostility toward implicated actors, whether those are powerful social outgroups or one’s own government representatives. We report two studies to examine such social consequences of COVID-19 conspiracy theories. In Study 1 (N = 501), we showed the distinct pattern of relationships between China-specific and generic COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs and prejudice and discrimination toward three social groups associated with the pandemic. In Study 2 (N = 1024), lowered trust in government regulations and increased hostility associated with the COVID-19 and generic conspiracy beliefs predicted justification of and willingness to engage in non-compliance with government regulations, violent attacks on 5G masts, and anti-government protests. Also, across both studies, increased exposure to information about COVID-19 was associated with endorsing fewer conspiracy theories, but it also brought about stronger feelings of anxiety and lack of control, which in turn contributed to higher conspiracy belief. We highlight the potential social problems associated with the wide-spread COVID-19 conspiracy theories as well as potential solutions to counteract them.

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COVID-19, 5G conspiracies and infrastructural futures

Cited by 66 publications

References 9 publications

Antecedents and consequences of COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs: a systematic review

Antecedents and consequences of COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs: a systematic review

Learning about COVID-19: a qualitative interview study of Australians’ use of information sources

Finding someone to blame: The link between COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs, prejudice, support for violence, and other negative social outcomes

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