Misinformation on social media linked to higher spread of COVID-19 in new study
A new study found social media use was linked to a higher spread of COVID-19 in the early stages of the pandemic, which researchers suggest could be due to widespread misinformation.
“What we found was surprising,” says research lead Jude Kong, an assistant professor at York University’s faculty of science. “This highlights the need to consider the dynamic role that social media plays in epidemics.”
After examining social media use across 58 countries, researchers at York University and the University of British Columbia discovered a potential correlation between social media use at the start of the pandemic and the spread of COVID-19.
Their findings suggest that the more false information spread, such as messages downplaying the potential dangers of COVID-19 or the effectiveness of mask-wearing and social distancing, the more the case count increased.
The study cited Canada as an example, saying the country had a lower level of social media use than the United States, and a lower number of COVID-19 cases at the beginning of the pandemic.
In the initial stage of COVID-19, information was sparse on the disease, the study said, and vaccines were not yet developed.
“So it appears that false information filled an important void for people in countries where social media and reality were tightly weaved,” the study reads.
However, the study ends on an optimistic note. Now, more than a year since the pandemic began, a wealth of scientific research and experience has been accumulated. The report indicates that social media could actually help slow a contagion’s spread by promoting factual information that combats misinformation.
Kong says by examining the influence social media has had throughout the pandemic, “It will help us to actually come up with efficient intervention measures going forward.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.