Co-branding of Misinformation

Co-branding of Misinformation

A study of Instagram posts conducted in April 2020, and investigating co-branding of misinformation trends among posts related to Covid-19, identified a broad trend of general mistrust, including the conspiracy concept of government secrecy and fabrication of information. The survey considered posts that were co-branded with other types of misinformation, which makes post-identity and removal more complicated. Quinn et al. (2021) state a better understanding of how misinformation is shared is integral to the ability of public health officials and policymakers to limit the spread of “potentially life-threatening health misinformation” (p. 573). While social media presents opportunities for public health officials to disseminate health information and influence behaviours, the spread of misinformation prompted the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare an Infodemic, an overabundance of information and misinformation. Quinn et al. (2021) state: “The spread of misinformation is associated with increased deaths, wasted resources, delayed treatments, and increased concern associated with the already chaotic information landscape” (p. 573). The authors emphasize health information presented on social media can effectively influence health behaviours and risk perception, but also facilitates message amplification of rumour and misinformation (p. 573). The survey examined the top 10 Instagram posts, collected daily over 10 days from April 10 to 30, 2020, for the hashtags #hoax, #governmentlies, and #plandemic, resulting in an analysis of 300 posts which were coded for themes among images and textual responses. The authors conclude: “Overall, Covid-19 was frequently presented in association with authority-questioning beliefs” (Quinn et al., 2021, p. 573).

Quinn et al. (2021), asked what the dominant themes are with the said hashtags, and if there are lessons to be learned in Covid-19 posts on social media among those that co-branded with other “authority-questioning, skeptical, or conspiracy-driven hashtags” (p. 574). They note at the time of data collection, Canada had reported 55,601 cases of Covid-19. The U.S. had reported 870,000 cases. It was the height of the first wave of the pandemic. Instagram images were coded for content themes, with captions coded for accuracy, content, and dominant themes (p. 574). The most frequent broad themes identified were: general mistrust (43.8%); conspiracy theories (29.1%); unrelated (14.4%); anti-misinformation (6.5%); and quarantine (6.0%). The broad theme of general mistrust was further coded for sub-themes, which were government lies (20.9%); media lies (7.8%); do your own research (7.9%); and it’s a hoax (7.1%) (Quinn et al. 2021, p. 575). The top theme of government mistrust, which is identified as being co-branded with Covid-19, indicates a correlation with more negative attitudes regarding government pandemic response (Quinn et al., 2021, p. 575).

This study adds to the growing literature suggesting that social media is contributing to the idea that governments and the media are not trustworthy about Covid-19, and that social media users are being exposed to multiple examples of this trust-eroding material (Quinn et al., 2021, p. 573). This study provides a correlational basis for our research, and succinctly summarizes the top trends among misinformation on social media. The ability to identify the themes being disseminated on social media is integral to identifying the most effective counterargument messaging for public health and elected officials.

Before the emergence of Covid-19, the World Health Organization (WHO) identified vaccine hesitancy as one of the top 10 threats to world health. Understanding how vaccine hesitancy has been created and disseminated on social media, and through official governmental and institutional communication, is integral to supporting government public health messaging. The strategy behind and intention of public health messaging is vital to effective persuasive outcomes in a pandemic. Given the accompanying infodemic, which is a relatively new phenomenon in a public health crisis, such messaging needs to now be considered within the infodemic context. This research contributes to a growing body of academic literature informing public health crisis messaging during a pandemic and an accompanying infodemic.

Canada has experienced a public health crisis before, such as the SARS epidemic in 2003, but never before has a pandemic such as Covid-19 had global and all-encompassing societal impacts. In Alberta, protests, denialism, vaccine hesitancy, and underlying right-wing extremist views have resulted in a near collapse of the healthcare system as the province struggles to contain the virus’ fourth wave. It is vital in any crisis for communications from public officials to be clear and reassure the public of the government’s ability to manage it. Provincial crisis communications have been inconsistent, however. Messaging from Alberta’s Premier Jason Kenney ranges from that which borders on denialism to declaring the pandemic over before being forced to declare a public health emergency, and subsequently reinstituting containment measures. This research considers official communication and the public’s response to draw a correlation between the two to better inform the philosophies that guide crisis communications.