Fake news and our behaviour during Covid-19 |12 January 2021
The spike in Covid-19 cases in Seychelles generated a heightened need for information, and the public is demanding a response from the authorities/government every day. This is causing a situation of uncertainty. People are getting emotional and fake news and other informative content have dramatically increased. There is not a moment where one is not receiving a WhatsApp message or videos stating that this place is in lockdown or such a number of people are Covid-19 positive!
It is a fact that Covid-19 has changed the way we live and behave. People realise that our lives will never be the same again. With this pandemic we have also the ‘infodemic’! Infodemic is a portmanteau of "information" and "epidemic" that typically refers to a rapid and far-reaching spread of both accurate and inaccurate information about something, such as a disease. The world has been a victim to that and according to a study published in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, many people have lost their lives just by believing in rumours. According to that journal “a team of international scientists from various countries, such as Australia, Japan and Thailand, looked at data compiled between December 2019 and April 2020 as part of the study. We followed and examined Covid-19-related rumours, stigma, and conspiracy theories circulating online, including fact-checking websites, Facebook, Twitter, and online newspapers, and their impacts on public health”, the study said.
Seychelles being a small country, we also have our share of rumours, fake news and other theories about Covid-19. Being a free country we cannot control the source of information. Access to information is a right and that right should not be abused. How many of us when receiving a message just forward the message without checking the ‘truth’ about it. Aren’t we part of the ‘infodemic’?
The government is trying to come up with programmes to help us get out of the situation and it is the responsibility of each one of us to make this effort not to spread news that have not been confirmed. On our part, the journalists, we are also trying our best to get the information but not all the time we receive them to be able to disseminate them on time!
Even Unicef had a webinar in November 2020 to talk about this issue. Here is an extract of their consultations. “This golden age of innovation, with a flourishing of new technologies and online platforms, has created extraordinary opportunities for children and young people to enrich their knowledge and information, their social networks, and their solidarity and civic activism like never before. But those same technologies are used, abused and misused to promote fake messages and harm – leading to hate speech, racism, and hostility with often dangerous consequences to democracies, mental health and children and young people. The infodemic that has spread at the same rate as the Covid pandemic has brought this into sharp relief. Why now, why has this exploded in 2020 with data being exploited at an unprecedented level? How can children and young people develop the ability to decipher disinformation and misinformation?”
On my social media page, I asked this question about fake news to our readers and here are some of the comments:
“I think every time fake news is out and about, you guys need to be more prompt with facts so you can break the chain.”
“Absolutely we need regular updates from a regular source.”
“Not sure where people find inspiration or willingness to create fake news. This issue would also stop if we had the good sense not to forward rumours we receive via WhatsApp and other channels. Creators of fake news are only part of the problem, perpetuated by our trigger happy habits of sharing it around. I’m shocked that even people who seem educated send those out! Many from the Baby Boomer generation also seem to think that if something is written on their Facebook or WhatsApp text that means it is the truth. Some young people believe this too.”
“People are gullible. Some of them don’t even read what they share! They don’t know how to analyse sources. Some choose what they want to believe and their level of understanding is poor sometimes. This is a pandemic in itself. Donn nouvel i form parti nou kiltir – a challenge in itself.”
“I think the media should be more proactive and go out to search for news/ clarification... Don't wait for the health department or other agencies to ask you to come over for a press conference.”
“Just because someone you know (who isn't an expert) shares something, doesn't mean you should share it. Check the source. Read with a critical eye.”
“The dark side is always more attractive.”
“We need to understand that not everyone is blessed with the skill to be analytical, especially in the political climate we are in. Though most may have internet access, not everyone is capable of independently doing their research and also able to vet news sources. This is why I believe that news agencies here should be more proactive. I also believe that MoH should do more sensitisation in regards to the vaccine, how it works and if there is any probability of it having any side effects. Putting up figures and holding press conferences are good but we need to know more about that vaccine and put to rest those rumours. Something that is unknown/foreign/new will always cause unrest.”
Let us all remember this quote from the author of Venus in Arms, Criss Jami, “In the age of technology there is constant access to vast amounts of information. The basket overflows; people get overwhelmed; the eye of the storm is not so much what goes on in the world, it is the confusion of how to think, feel, digest, and react to what goes on.”
During this pandemic, it is the responsibility of EACH ONE of US to contribute towards the truth and stop the spread of FAKE NEWS!
Compiled by Vidya Gappy
Copyright photo: counterhate.co.uk
https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public/myth-busters