Social Media and Health Misinformation during the US COVID Crisis

TL;DR

This paper analyzes how health misinformation about COVID-19, specifically Trump's UV light comments, spread and were contested on Twitter, revealing political polarization and ineffective refutation strategies.

Contribution

It provides a detailed case study of social media discourse on COVID misinformation, highlighting the political polarization and contestation dynamics.

Findings

Misinformation comments aligned with partisan narratives.

Contestation was more prevalent than support.

Refutation efforts often reinforced misinformation.

Abstract

Health misinformation has been found to be prevalent on social media, particularly in new public health crises in which there is limited scientific information. However, social media can also play a role in limiting and refuting health misinformation. Using as a case study US President Donald Trump's controversial comments about the promise and power of UV light- and disinfectant-based treatments, this data memo examines how these comments were discussed and responded to on Twitter. We find that these comments fell into established politically partisan narratives and dominated discussion of both politics and COVID in the days following. Contestation of the comments was much more prevalent than support. Supporters attacked media coverage in line with existing Trump narratives. Contesters responded with humour and shared mainstream media coverage condemning the comments. These practices would have strengthened the original misinformation through repetition and done little to construct a successful refutation for those who might have believed them. This research adds much-needed knowledge to our understanding of the information environment surrounding COVID and demonstrates that, despite calls for the depoliticization of health information in this public health crisis, this is largely being approached as a political issue along divisive, polarised, partisan lines.