One example of misinformation I thought of is the conspiracy floating around on social media that claims the elites in America (specifically Bill Gates) have engineered Covid in order to harness more wealth and power. Going hand in hand, there is also a conspiracy that the new Covid vaccine will implant a chip into all participants which will allow for the government to closely track citizens. These conspiracy theories have no evidence to back them up and are very clearly irrational, yet many Americans believe them. For example, according to a yougov poll, 28% of Americans believe that Bill Gates is trying to microchip people through the Covid vaccine. Relating to the article we read this week, this type of misinformation is harmful to our national security. While the conspiracy technically involves public health, it is also creating mistrust in the government and perpetuating a divided nation. This divisiveness leaves us vulnerable to outside attacks, which is a threat to our national security. Additionally, these conspiracies have made it more difficult for a proper Covid response, which allows our economy to stay in free fall and our country to flounder under the pressure of Covid.
It has been interesting to see the responses of the various social media platforms to all of this misinformation. In my daily use of social media applications (specifically twitter and instagram), I have noticed that social media sites have been trying to disseminate correct information about Covid by including links to informational sources on posts that are related to Covid. While I think this is an important first step, I’m not sure how many people the efforts are actually informing because many conspiracy theorists are flocking to alternative social media sites, such as Parler. These alternative sites specifically target those with unconventional views on Covid and these sites make no effort to stop the spread of misinformation. In fact, they perpetuate misinformation.
coronavirus conspiracy fact checking article: https://www.bbc.com/news/52847648
I’d actually never heard of Parler! But such “alternative” sites abound, so the responsibility is far from being merely that of Twitter, Facebook, and co. But the existence of the alternatives suggests the need for comprehensive internet reform.
One of the tricky things about these types of misinformation is that though they may be simple enough for someone like you or me to identify, they are credible to many. Why is that? What is the transformation of the media environment that lends credence to outrageous stories?