key: cord-0872495-3vsojvn6
authors: Kolokythas, Antonia
title: What do the aftermath of the 2010 Haiti earthquake, Hurricane Sandy, the Boston Marathon bombings, the 2013 Ebola outbreak and the COVID-19 pandemic, have in common?
date: 2021-07-02
journal: Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol
DOI: 10.1016/j.oooo.2021.06.016
sha: 0f8c26777e13eb5c26c2db0020e2394fb8eff61f
doc_id: 872495
cord_uid: 3vsojvn6

nan

Information transmission originates from humans or automated online accounts, referred to as bots, that pose as real human users on social media. Social bots use "a computer algorithm that automatically produces content and interacts with humans on social media, trying to emulate and possibly alter their behavior." Bots, short for software robots, are considered "super-spreaders" of misinformation as they can retweet articles within seconds of first appearance making them "go viral". Social bots have been found to disproportionally contribute on social media platforms on controversial political and public health matters. Unfortunately, about 1/3 rd of these "super-spreaders" were found to use low credibility sources, while others undermined or altered scientific information [1, 4] . In the recently published article in JAMA Internal Medicine titled "Spread of Misinformation About Face Masks and COVID-19 by Automated Software on Facebook" the authors investigated these trends in the COVID-19-pandemic "infodemic" setting [5] . The authors found that claims of conspiracy and false claims about the results of the DANMASK-19 study were higher in posts from groups affected by automation (bots). The DANMASK-19 study was used by the authors due to high citation rates (5 th most discussed and shared article) and findings regarding use of face masks in the control of the pandemic. The DANMASK-19 study concluded that: "the recommendation to wear surgical masks to supplement other public health measures did not reduce the SARS-CoV-2 infection rate among wearers by more than 50% in a community with modest infection rates, some degree of social distancing, and uncommon general mask use. The data were compatible with lesser degrees of self-protection." [6] Posting on social media platform affected by automation though claimed, "harm to the mask wearer" (19.8% of the posts) and "conspiracy surrounding the trial" (50% of the posts) [5] .

Misinformation, rumors and conspiracy theories spread in social media platforms are unfortunately common during epidemics, natural disasters and catastrophic events. The COVID-19 pandemic is no

Health care professionals ought to remain informed by using high credibility resources, cross-reference information they encounter in social media platforms and even more importunately refrain from transmitting information that may be inaccurate. Additionally, health care providers can help inform the public about risks associated with misinformation

Bots and Misinformation Spread on Social Media: Implications for COVID-19

An exploration of socia media in extreme events: Rumor theory and Twiter during the HAiti earthquake 2010. in International conferenec on Information Systems

Rumor response, debunking response and decision makings of misinformed twitter users during disasters

The spread of low-credibility content by social media

Spread of misinformation about face masks and COVID-19 by authomated software on Facebook

Effectiveness of Adding a Mask Recommendation to Other Public Health Measures to Prevent SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Danish Mask Wearers : A Randomized Controlled Trial

Framework for Managing the COVID-19 Infodemic: Methods and Results of an Online, Crowdsourced WHO Technical Consultation