The Impact of the COVID-19 “Infodemic” on Well-Being: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic created a crisis in the world of information and digital literacy. The amount of misinformation surrounding COVID-19 that has circulated through social media (SM) since January 2020 is notably significant and has been linked to rising levels of anxiety and fear amongst SM users. Aim This study aimed to assess SM practices during COVID-19 and investigated their impact on users’ well-being. Methods An online survey was distributed between June 10 and July 31 2020 via different SM platforms in the United Arab Emirates and other Arabic-speaking countries. Adults above 18 years of age who spoke Arabic or English were invited to complete the survey which covered multiple domains, use and practices related to social media platforms and mental health questions, including the WHO-5 Well-Being Index. Results Out of 993 participants, 73% were females, 76% were non-Emirati, 91% were university graduates, and 50% were employed in various occupations, of which 20% were health care professionals. Participants indicated that they acquired COVID-19 related information primarily from social media and messaging applications of which WhatsApp was the most used. Most participants reported sharing information after verification. The mean well-being score was 12.6 ±5.6, with 49% of participants reporting poor well-being (WHO-5 score <12.5). Adjusted linear regression showed that Facebook usage was negatively associated with well-being scores. Additionally, high time use was associated with poorer well-being. When adjusting for other factors, including low confidence in information around COVID-19 and poor knowledge overall, SM usage was significantly associated with poorer well-being. Conclusion The study sheds light on the use of SM during the pandemic and its impact on well-being throughout the novel coronavirus pandemic. Social media practices during emergencies and disasters may impact public well-being. Authorities are advised to step in to minimize the spread of misinformation and more frequent use of social media as it may influence well-being. Public health specialists, information technology and communication experts should collaborate to limit the infodemic effect on communities.

COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance among Social Media Users: A Content Analysis, Multi-Continent Study

“…They noticed that, while the comments were mostly negative, the reactions were positive. This highlights the importance of spreading the scientific facts about the danger of COVID-19 on persons and communities, as well as prioritizing misconceptions about COVID-19 vaccines to increase COVID-19 vaccination acceptance [45].…”

“…We speculate that most of the comments against vaccination were because of safety issues, questions on long-term complications, mistrust with global health organizations, disbeliefs, and rumors that had already been proliferated throughout different social media platforms, such as the belief that COVID-19 is a mild or even a non-existent disease. As a result, it is critical that all stakeholders participating in the COVID-19 immunization program recognize the detrimental impact of infodemic and disinformation on these efforts and actively work to counteract them [34,45]. In this case, key stakeholders include research scientists involved in vaccine development, pharmaceutical companies manufacturing these vaccines, health care professionals administering vaccines, public health experts, ministries, and departments of health in charge of funding and monitoring vaccination programs, electronic and print media, and the community itself.…”

“…Comments were collected from 24 countries: United States of America (USA) (2176), Brazil (846), Saudi Arabia (385), United Kingdom (UK) (398), Egypt (381), Germany (388), Malaysia (307), Myanmar (100), Morocco (150), Mexico (106), Thailand (87), United Arab Emirates (UAE) (398), Tunisia (36), Portugal (66), Iraq (76), Sweden (55), Libya (20), Jordan (59), Palestine (45), Kuwait (28), Oman (27), Lebanon (13), Sudan (11), and Senegal (5).…”

Untitled

“…An online survey distributed between June-July 2020 through various social media platforms in the United Arab Emirates and other Arabic-speaking countries, concluded that 49% of the participants reported poor well-being. Low trust in information about COVID-19, long stay on social networks and poor knowledge in general, were associated with deterioration of psychological well-being (Elbarazi, et al, 2022). According to a study conducted at the University of California, people with a previous severe mental and physical condition, after exposure to daily news related to COVID-19, were more likely to exhibit acute stress and depressive symptoms (Holman et al, 2020).…”

Open science in the digital age

“…This was very much the case during the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated infodemic, where an overload of information as well as copious amounts of misand disinformation negatively impacted public well-being and contributed to disruptions in public health efforts to control the spread of the virus and manage the disease. 11 Since then, tackling mis-and disinformation online has become a top priority for many organisations, including the WHO. 12 Open data, source, and methodology…”