Do you trust experts on Twitter?: Successful correction of COVID-19-related misinformation

TL;DR

This study examines how correct scientific terminology about COVID-19 spread on Twitter, showing that misinformation was corrected faster than in traditional media and that influencers play a key role in shaping public understanding.

Contribution

It provides empirical evidence that self-correction of misinformation occurs on Twitter and highlights the influence of experts and media sources on public opinion.

Findings

Correct terminology usage increased on Twitter before official statements.

Influencers with expertise significantly impacted misinformation correction.

Some users continued to use incorrect terms by citing different sources.

Abstract

This study focuses on how scientifically-correct information is disseminated through social media, and how misinformation can be corrected. We have identified examples on Twitter where scientific terms that have been misused have been rectified and replaced by scientifically-correct terms through the interaction of users. The results show that the percentage of correct terms ("variant" or "COVID-19 variant") being used instead of the incorrect terms ("strain") on Twitter has already increased since the end of December 2020. This was about a month before the release of an official statement by the Japanese Association for Infectious Diseases regarding the correct terminology, and the use of terms on social media was faster than it was in television. Some Twitter users who quickly started using the correct term were more likely to retweet messages sent by leading influencers on Twitter, rather than messages sent by traditional media or portal sites. However, a few Twitter users continued to use wrong terms even after March 2021, even though the use of the correct terms was widespread. Further analysis of their tweets revealed that they were quoting sources that differed from that of other users. This study empirically verified that self-correction occurs even on Twitter, which is often known as a "hotbed for spreading rumors." The results of this study also suggest that influencers with expertise can influence the direction of public opinion on social media and that the media that users usually cite can also affect the possibility of behavioral changes.