The so-called fake news, false news or junk (if we want to use a word from our dictionary to refer to this type of publication), gained notoriety in recent times, mainly for two reasons: due to the ease and speed with which it is spread, and by the impact they can generate. In this article we analyze the impact that false news has had in recent months, mainly those related to a critical sector such as health.
In recent years, fake news has gained greater visibility in the context of electoral processes, being used to influence the population, especially among voters. In fact, in the latest report on security trends for 2020 , Tony Anscombe addressed the issue of fake news and its impact on the presidential elections, which left the door open to the analysis of the effects of disinformation in other areas, something that we can confirm from the large amount of false information about the disease that has been circulating since the beginning of the pandemic.
The subject is so delicate that even the WHO has used the term infodemic to refer to the practice of spreading false news or incorrect information related to the pandemic, given that in the current context, disinformation represents a more serious problem by having the ability to put at risk the health and integrity of people . Since the circulation of COVID-19 spread globally, misinformation has promoted, among other things, that someone with symptoms experiment with remedies that lacked scientific evidence to demonstrate their effectiveness in hopes of being cured, or that those living in countries with Hot climates did not have to worry, UNESCO explained.
Misinformation and how it threatens people's health tech architect job description
The viralization of false information directly influences the collective consciousness and the problem is in the speed with which it spreads, especially if its creator promotes and shares it from multiple accounts and networks at the same time.
According to data published by the World Health Organization, during the month of April more than 360 million videos were uploaded to YouTube under the category “COVID-19” and “COVID 19”, while in March this year about 550 million Tweets included the terms coronavirus, corona virus, covid19, covid-19, covid_19 or pandemic.
The false news about the pandemic have circulated from news, messages, audios and videos in which it was even claimed that the virus did not exist (which caused many people to ignore the sanitary measures), to the distribution of sensational information that contributed to the increased fear and anguish of people.
Other types of fake news encouraged to ignore the recommendations made by doctors, scientists and specialists, to the point that even recognized media were influenced by fake news and called to ignore the measures recommended by health authorities, exposing even more the health and integrity of people .
As we mentioned previously, the alleged cures or medications to treat the disease circulating through social networks proliferated, despite the fact that officially there is no specific treatment for the new coronavirus and only medications are indicated to alleviate the symptoms. In this sense, the dissemination of this type of information has caused the infodemic to enhance the impact of the pandemic.
In fact, according to data from a survey carried out by ESET Latin America in May, more than 70% of the participants assured that during the pandemic they received or had contact with false news related to COVID-19; mainly through social networks (72%), but also through WhatsApp (51%) and unreliable news portals (36%).
Given the impact and risk of this phenomenon, some social platforms, such as Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, Microsoft, Twitter, Reddit and YouTube joined forces in the fight against disinformation and scams that revolve around the pandemic, changing the rules. to censor, as in the case of Twitter, those messages that incited people to act against official recommendations.
In recent years, fake news has gained greater visibility in the context of electoral processes, being used to influence the population, especially among voters. In fact, in the latest report on security trends for 2020 , Tony Anscombe addressed the issue of fake news and its impact on the presidential elections, which left the door open to the analysis of the effects of disinformation in other areas, something that we can confirm from the large amount of false information about the disease that has been circulating since the beginning of the pandemic.
The subject is so delicate that even the WHO has used the term infodemic to refer to the practice of spreading false news or incorrect information related to the pandemic, given that in the current context, disinformation represents a more serious problem by having the ability to put at risk the health and integrity of people . Since the circulation of COVID-19 spread globally, misinformation has promoted, among other things, that someone with symptoms experiment with remedies that lacked scientific evidence to demonstrate their effectiveness in hopes of being cured, or that those living in countries with Hot climates did not have to worry, UNESCO explained.
Misinformation and how it threatens people's health tech architect job description
The viralization of false information directly influences the collective consciousness and the problem is in the speed with which it spreads, especially if its creator promotes and shares it from multiple accounts and networks at the same time.
According to data published by the World Health Organization, during the month of April more than 360 million videos were uploaded to YouTube under the category “COVID-19” and “COVID 19”, while in March this year about 550 million Tweets included the terms coronavirus, corona virus, covid19, covid-19, covid_19 or pandemic.
The false news about the pandemic have circulated from news, messages, audios and videos in which it was even claimed that the virus did not exist (which caused many people to ignore the sanitary measures), to the distribution of sensational information that contributed to the increased fear and anguish of people.
Other types of fake news encouraged to ignore the recommendations made by doctors, scientists and specialists, to the point that even recognized media were influenced by fake news and called to ignore the measures recommended by health authorities, exposing even more the health and integrity of people .
As we mentioned previously, the alleged cures or medications to treat the disease circulating through social networks proliferated, despite the fact that officially there is no specific treatment for the new coronavirus and only medications are indicated to alleviate the symptoms. In this sense, the dissemination of this type of information has caused the infodemic to enhance the impact of the pandemic.
In fact, according to data from a survey carried out by ESET Latin America in May, more than 70% of the participants assured that during the pandemic they received or had contact with false news related to COVID-19; mainly through social networks (72%), but also through WhatsApp (51%) and unreliable news portals (36%).
Given the impact and risk of this phenomenon, some social platforms, such as Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, Microsoft, Twitter, Reddit and YouTube joined forces in the fight against disinformation and scams that revolve around the pandemic, changing the rules. to censor, as in the case of Twitter, those messages that incited people to act against official recommendations.
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