The importance of social media users’ responses in tackling digital COVID-19 misinformation in Africa

Stewart, Ruth; Madonsela, Andile; Tshabalala, Nkululeko; Etale, Linda; Theunissen, Nicola

doi:10.1177/20552076221085070

Cited by 26 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 62 publications

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“…Thence, society, stakeholders, governments, as well as the general populace must make and consider choices that are mindful and intentional concerning the manner of leveraging technology that can help enhance lives, mitigate stress as well as improve mental health. Imperatively, individuals should reduce the recurring exposure to what the media projects about the pandemic alongside accompanying social activities that trigger distress [27], be cautious about social media usage from a high-level perspective [29,93], and avoid overload of work which may lead to psychological and mental health challenges [28]. With all the drawbacks being revealed from the literature, technology benefits are leveraged to enhance accessibility across a diversity of socioeconomic groups, thus ensuring the positive impact of technology is equally dispersed in society.…”

Section: Recommendations and Conclusionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Technology Dependency and Impact During COVID-19: A Systematic Literature Review and Open Challenges

et al. 2023

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The COVID-19 pandemic is still a challenge in many countries, although life must proceed while ensuring the pandemic is managed critically. Due to the delay in producing permanent medical intervention, despite the availability of vaccines, there is still a need to depend on technology in performing several tasks. A systematic literature review that provides comprehensive evidence on technology dependence and the impact of technology on individuals during the pandemic is lacking. This study systematically reviewed scholarly works related to technology dependency from a broad view since the pandemic and mapped the research findings into a taxonomy, thus establishing the trend in technology type, major areas of technology dependency, and the impact of technology during the pandemic. The mapped taxonomy is used to expound on open challenges and recommendations. The final set from the systematic search was 76 articles. Technology might be an avenue for administering and enhancing health services, improving outreaches, and supporting curbing the spread of diseases. However, the impact of technology dependence is both positive and negative. A systematic mapping was conducted to explore the literature on the impacts of technology, where there is a need for further research. Notwithstanding the category, most of the reviewed articles emphasized the usage and impact of technology at such a time of the pandemic and provided insights on the manner of addressing them. Realistically, there has been an acceleration of digitalization trends in the present era of the COVID-19 pandemic and the possibility of rapid development of novel digital technologies.

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Section: Recommendations and Conclusionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Technology Dependency and Impact During COVID-19: A Systematic Literature Review and Open Challenges

et al. 2023

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“…Globally applicable infodemic measurements and metrics are needed. The true cost of infodemics has not been robustly measured but has been anecdotally reported, with impacts such as stigma, violence against health workers, overdoses of nonrecommended treatments or stockouts, refusal by individuals or communities to wear masks or get vaccinated, and frivolous lawsuits against health systems and health care workers [ 15 ]. One academic brief suggested that COVID-19 misinformation cost US $50-$300 million a day at the height of the pandemic in the United States [ 16 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Measuring the Burden of Infodemics: Summary of the Methods and Results of the Fifth WHO Infodemic Management Conference

Wilhelm¹,

Ballalai²,

Bélanger³

et al. 2023

JMIR Infodemiology

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Background An infodemic is excess information, including false or misleading information, that spreads in digital and physical environments during a public health emergency. The COVID-19 pandemic has been accompanied by an unprecedented global infodemic that has led to confusion about the benefits of medical and public health interventions, with substantial impact on risk-taking and health-seeking behaviors, eroding trust in health authorities and compromising the effectiveness of public health responses and policies. Standardized measures are needed to quantify the harmful impacts of the infodemic in a systematic and methodologically robust manner, as well as harmonizing highly divergent approaches currently explored for this purpose. This can serve as a foundation for a systematic, evidence-based approach to monitoring, identifying, and mitigating future infodemic harms in emergency preparedness and prevention. Objective In this paper, we summarize the Fifth World Health Organization (WHO) Infodemic Management Conference structure, proceedings, outcomes, and proposed actions seeking to identify the interdisciplinary approaches and frameworks needed to enable the measurement of the burden of infodemics. Methods An iterative human-centered design (HCD) approach and concept mapping were used to facilitate focused discussions and allow for the generation of actionable outcomes and recommendations. The discussions included 86 participants representing diverse scientific disciplines and health authorities from 28 countries across all WHO regions, along with observers from civil society and global public health–implementing partners. A thematic map capturing the concepts matching the key contributing factors to the public health burden of infodemics was used throughout the conference to frame and contextualize discussions. Five key areas for immediate action were identified. Results The 5 key areas for the development of metrics to assess the burden of infodemics and associated interventions included (1) developing standardized definitions and ensuring the adoption thereof; (2) improving the map of concepts influencing the burden of infodemics; (3) conducting a review of evidence, tools, and data sources; (4) setting up a technical working group; and (5) addressing immediate priorities for postpandemic recovery and resilience building. The summary report consolidated group input toward a common vocabulary with standardized terms, concepts, study designs, measures, and tools to estimate the burden of infodemics and the effectiveness of infodemic management interventions. Conclusions Standardizing measurement is the basis for documenting the burden of infodemics on health systems and population health during emergencies. Investment is needed into the development of practical, affordable, evidence-based, and systematic methods that are legally and ethically balanced for monitoring infodemics; generating diagnostics, infodemic insights, and recommendations; and developing interventions, action-oriented guidance, policies, support options, mechanisms, and tools for infodemic managers and emergency program managers.

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“… 9 The phenomenon exacerbated the spread of misinformation on COVID-19 diagnosis, treatment, preventive measures, 7 , 9 and conspiracy theories. 10 As a result, the navigation of COVID-19 information became increasingly complex and challenging, raising concerns about anxiety, 11 and the well-being of students who often spent a large amount of time exposed to digital content, 9 , 12 , 15 leading to feelings of confusion and stress. 9 , 16 Pramukti et al showed receiving more information regarding COVID-19 significantly increased the level of anxiety among Taiwanese students.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Digital health literacy and well-being among university students: Mediating roles of fear of COVID-19, information satisfaction, and internet information search

et al. 2023

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Background Digital health literacy (DHL) enables healthy decisions, improves protective behaviors and adherence to COVID-19 measures, especially during the era of the “infodemic”, and enhances psychological well-being. Objective We aimed to explore the mediating roles of fear of COVID-19, information satisfaction, and the importance of online information searching on the association between DHL and well-being. Methods A cross-sectional web-based survey was conducted among 1631 Taiwanese university students, aged 18 years and above, from June 2021 to March 2022. The collected data include sociodemographic characteristics (sex, age, social status, and financial satisfaction), the importance of online information searching, information satisfaction, fear of COVID-19, DHL, and well-being. A linear regression model was utilized to investigate factors associated with well-being, followed by a pathway analysis to assess the direct and indirect relationship between DHL and well-being. Results The scores of DHL and overall well-being were 3.1 ± 0.4 and 74.4 ± 19.7, respectively. Social status (B = 2.40, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.73–3.07, p < 0.001), DHL (B 0.29, 95% CI 0.10–0.49, p < 0.001), importance of online information searching (B = 0.78, 95% CI 0.38–1.17, p < 0.001), and information satisfaction (B = 3.59, 95% CI 2.22–4.94, p < 0.001) were positively associated with well-being, whereas higher fear of COVID-19 scores (B = −0.38, 95% CI −0.55-(−0.21), p < 0.001) and female (B = −2.99, 95% CI −5.02–0.6, p = 0.004) were associated with lower well-being, when compared with lower fear scores and male, respectively. Fear of COVID-19 (B = 0.03, 95% CI 0.016–0.04, p < 0.001), importance of online information searching (B = 0.03, 95% CI 0.01–0.05, p = 0.005), and information satisfaction (B = 0.05, 95% CI 0.023–0.067, p < 0.001) were significantly mediated the relationship between DHL and well-being. Conclusion Higher DHL scores show direct and indirect associations with higher well-being scores. Fear, importance of online information searching, and information satisfaction significantly contributed to the association.

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The importance of social media users’ responses in tackling digital COVID-19 misinformation in Africa

Cited by 26 publications

References 62 publications

Technology Dependency and Impact During COVID-19: A Systematic Literature Review and Open Challenges

Technology Dependency and Impact During COVID-19: A Systematic Literature Review and Open Challenges

Measuring the Burden of Infodemics: Summary of the Methods and Results of the Fifth WHO Infodemic Management Conference

Digital health literacy and well-being among university students: Mediating roles of fear of COVID-19, information satisfaction, and internet information search

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