COVID-19 and the Infodemic: An Overview of the Role and Impact of Social Media, the Evolution of Medical Knowledge, and Emerging Problems

Abstract

The infodemic is an important component of the cyber-risk in regard to the poor and uncontrolled dissemination of information related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this study was to perform a narrative review based on three points of view to allow for an overall picture of this issue. The points of view focused on: (a) the volume of use of social media (a key element of the infodemic) and the position of international health domain bodies; (b) the evolution of scientific production in the life sciences; (c) emerging issues. The research methodology was based on Google and PubMed searches and a qualification process based on a standard checklist and an evaluation of eligibility based on parameters with five score levels applied by two experts (plus one in case of discrepancy). The three points of view stressed the key role of social media as a dissemination tool of the infodemic among citizens. The impact on citizens depends on various social factors and involves indirect (e.g., vaccine avoidance) and direct risks such as mental problems and the risk of suicide. The widespread diffusion of social media, conveyed by mobile technologies, also suggests their use as countermeasures, calibrated based on citizens’ level of both technological and health literacy. Effective and promising countermeasures in this direction are based both on initiatives of contact by apps or SMS and the collection of data based on surveys and finalized to the particular intervention. The review also suggests as further areas of in-depth research: (a) to combat high-level infodemic produced by scientific publications that are not yet official (preprint) or that have undergone peer review with bias/distortion; (b) focusing on the impact of the infodemic considering its spread in different languages.

COVID-19 Vaccination Intent, Barriers and Facilitators in Healthcare Workers: Insights from a Cross-Sectional Study on 2500 Employees at LMU University Hospital in Munich, Germany

“…HBM-based analyses rest upon the psychosocial assumption of health being considered of high priority by the targeted population [49]. Although the results of this study do indicate a strong prioritization of one's personal health as a facilitator for receiving a COVID-19 vaccine, further health and non-health related factors that may also influence the decision-making process but go beyond the scope of HBM should be considered in future research attempts.…”

“…A further analysis into the cues to action would have been possible with a more detailed section on the utilization of information platforms and channels, as there are quantitatively and qualitatively diverse possibilities for employing information sources when actively or passively seeking information. This limitation is particularly valid in regard to social media utilization in terms of misinformation and infodemic management [49,52].…”

Parents’ perspective on COVID-19 vaccine in children 6 months through 4 years: a cross-sectional study from Northwest Wisconsin

“…Measures to target the remaining 28.6% who are susceptible to changing their decision could improve vaccination rates; however, more research to evaluate factors that can impact and change the attitudes of parents with a firm decision against the vaccine is needed to significantly impact vaccination rates. The misinformation or the infodemic on social media and other sources of information have contributed to vaccine hesitancy by consolidating the biases of many people who already are reluctant to get vaccinated 33 34. Collective efforts from political, cultural, religious institutes and media sources are needed, as was evident from the Measles vaccination campaign 15…”

Parental Perception of Children's Mental Health During the Pandemic: Insights From an Italian Cross‐Sectional Study

“…Interestingly, having actively searched information on mental health of children was associated with a perceived worsening. This could be explained from 2 perspectives: on the one hand, the parent may have sought information after the child's health worsened; on the other hand, it is possible that the infodemic accompanying the pandemic not only fueled information‐seeking behavior but also a potentially negative perception of health in the pandemic context, especially mental health 66 . A reported increase in digital devices use was also associated with a perceived mental health worsening, in line with findings highlighting that screen time can be associated with poor psychological outcomes 50,67 .…”