Dissemination and Acceptance of COVID-19 Misinformation in Iran: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

Introduction Misinformation refers to unclear information from unreliable resources, and it is a common phenomenon of society; it can even constitute a part of family and social conversations due to the relative damages. Misinformation dissemination under the circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic can be considered a cause of health-related anxieties and severe harm to the countries. The present study aims to explain factors related to the dissemination and acceptance of coronavirus misinformation in Iran. Material and Methods This qualitative study was carried out through content analysis in the year 2020. The population included Iranian experts in Information and Communication Sciences, among whom 19 experts were selected through the purposive sampling method. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed through Continuous Thematic Analysis. Such criteria authenticated data trustworthiness as credibility, confirmability, dependability, and transferability proposed by Guba and Lincoln. Findings Based on the experiences of participants, six major categories and 18 subcategories were identified regarding the major theme. The major categories included the official news and informing system, misinformation nature, users, media, misinformation source, and social determinants. Conclusion Concurrent with the Covid-19 outbreak, a sort of information tsunami occurs. Unavoidably, a significant amount of misinformation regarding the various aspects of the virus, such as its origin, transmission methods, control, and treatment, are published. In many cases, the spreading information is not checked and verified in terms of accuracy and authenticity. The spread and acceptance of Covid-19 related misinformation happen under the impact of various factors. Being familiar with these factors will boost the culture of health and pave the path toward establishing evidence-based information public awareness schemes.

Theoretical issues in medical library and information sciences' articles published in scopus and web of science databases: A scoping review

“…The first is a specific subgroup of studies related to theoretical issues on information such as information pollution, information tsunami, and evidence-based information. [ 7 ] A considerable number of studies in this group (second subgroup) have focused on information literacy models and analyzing user's information seeking behaviors[ 8 9 10 ] or the expanded conceptual model, Longo, related to information seeking behavior presented in one of the articles. [ 11 ] Finally, the third subgroup is related to the use of models, theories, and various frameworks for education and user's information literacy evaluation.…”

Navigating health information chaos: Perspectives from Persian-speaking immigrants in Finland

“…The source of health information varies among minority populations, such as undocumented immigrant women in Denmark, who primarily rely on friends, family, the internet, and social networks [27], and Polish migrants in Norway, who trust healthcare providers [28]. During the pandemic, Iranians residing in Iran obtain health information from a variety of sources, including family and friends, authorities, news outlets, social media, and messaging apps [29][30][31][32]. However, the spread of fake news, misinformation, and disinformation during the pandemic, particularly via social media, is a global concern affecting nations including the Nordic countries, Iran, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan [33][34][35].…”