Preprint
The Morbid Realities of Social Media: An Investigation into the Misinformation Shared by the Deceased Victims of COVID-19
09/20/2022
Abstract
Social media platforms have had considerable impact on the real world
especially during the Covid-19 pandemic. Misinformation related to Covid-19
might have caused significant impact on the population specifically due to its
association with dangerous beliefs such as anti-vaccination and Covid denial.
In this work, we study a unique dataset of Facebook posts by users who shared
and believed in Covid-19 misinformation before succumbing to Covid-19 often
resulting in death. We aim to characterize the dominant themes and sources
present in the victim's posts along with identifying the role of the platform
in handling deadly narratives. Our analysis reveals the overwhelming
politicization of Covid-19 through the prevalence of anti-government themes
propagated by right-wing political and media ecosystem. Furthermore, we
highlight the failures of Facebook's implementation and completeness of soft
moderation actions intended to warn users of misinformation. Results from this
study bring insights into the responsibility of political elites in shaping
public discourse and the platform's role in dampening the reach of harmful
misinformation.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- The Morbid Realities of Social Media: An Investigation into the Misinformation Shared by the Deceased Victims of COVID-19
- Creators
- Hussam HabibRishab Nithyanand
- Resource Type
- Preprint
- Language
- English
- Date posted
- 09/20/2022
- Academic Unit
- Computer Science; Law Faculty; Public Policy Center (Archive); Center for Social Science Innovation
- Record Identifier
- 9984297003302771
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