During a pandemic, it is just as important to limit your exposure to misinformation

“There are two viral contagions occurring right now: one of them is biological, which is Covid-19, the other is social, which is misinformation. And they both reinforce each other.” (Imran Ahmed, Center for Countering Digital Hate)

Good communication is key when dealing and living through any crisis, especially when it is an unprecedented pandemic. But it can be hard to cut through the noise when there is too much information available. While Social Media might provide some comfort during the necessary physical isolation, it can also be the breeding ground to a toxic combination of misinformation and anxiety.

Due to the interactive aspect of these platforms, we run the risk to unwittingly participate in the spread of something that it is just as dangerous as a deadly virus. Imran Ahmed, the CEO for the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), a UK organisation that deals with the spread of misinformation and hate through online platforms, has efficiently stated during his interviews: “There are two viral contagions occurring right now: one of them is biological, which is Covid-19, the other is social, which is misinformation. And they both reinforce each other.”

While Social Media companies should take more responsibility as publishers, we must take ownership for contributing to the spread of harmful content, even when done under the best intentions. I will attempt here to provide a few tips on how we can change our behaviour and stop the spread of misinformation.

Prioritise Quality over Quantity

If you ask for my honest opinion, I would say that you don’t need Social Media at all. Not even during the Apocalypse. Official communication will reach you via mobile text, mainstream media and snail mail (formally known as a letter).

I deleted my Facebook and Whatsapp accounts a while ago and only kept Twitter and LinkedIn for work reasons. But I know of many of my colleagues in IT, who don’t even have any social media accounts at all. Am I missing on anything? Not really. The people with whom I have real connections still keep in touch via long emails, phone calls and snail-mail.

The quality of one-to-one communication, instead of scrolling through feeds, that are assembled by an algorithm, is infinitely higher. Prioritise those, instead of spending a large amount of time on Social Media. None of us is as important as we might like to think. If you can, reach out to people through those one-to-one channels rather than expecting to be reached out. Now is a good time to catch up with friends, former colleagues and relatives you might have lost touch with.

Check the sources of the sources

Facebook, in particular, is full of dubious cures and conspiracy theories, designed to polarize society and jeopardize democracy. Just because the information is coming from a trusted friend or relative, it doesn’t mean that is correct. Even credible professionals can be misled. Doubt everything and check the sources of the sources. Before liking or sharing anything look for:

• The background and the motives of the sources
• References to the origin of the data and findings
• The date of the original information
• What are they actually reporting and what they are not reporting

Don’t engage with posts spreading misinformation and conspiracy theories

When we see information that is offensive or just not agreable on Social Media, we tend to believe that it is a good idea to counteract them by engaging in debate. However, these platforms operate in a very different way from real life. Every time we engage with those posts, we end up spreading dangerous ideas.

CCDH has researched extensively on the way trolls work to get exposure. Through the campaign “Don’t Feed the Trolls”, they have published a comprehensive report with practical steps that can be adopted by everyone. Their recommendations include resisting the urge to respond. For a bad actor wanting to spread fear and hate, it is not about winning or losing an argument. It is about getting more people to be exposed to their propaganda. Don’t help them with that. Instead of engaging, report the post.

Update (27 March 2020): CCDH has launched a new campaign. “Don’t Spread the Virus” has been endorsed by UK Government and contains the following guidance:

“If you see Covid-19 misinformation:

1. Don’t Engage: If you reply, share or quote misinformation, you help to spread it.
2. Block them: If someone you don’t know is sharing misinformation, block them
3. Message privately: If someone you know is sharing misinformation, message them privately and ask them not to
4. Report: Report misinformation to platforms or groups admins asking them to remove that content
5. Instead, spread official advice: Drawn out fake news by sharing official scientific advice, as well as posts promoting good causes in tough times”

Report misleading information and conspiracy theories to Social Media Platforms and group admins

If you come across misleading information, such as the millions of dubious and dangerous cures advertised on Social Media, or hate speech through conspiracy theories, report them to the Social Media companies and group administrators.

For your convenience, here it is a list containing links to the main Social Media platforms reporting instructions:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/help/181495968648557
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/intl/en-GB/about/policies/#reporting-and-enforcement
• Instagram: https://help.instagram.com/contact/383679321740945
• Twitter: https://help.twitter.com/en/safety-and-security#sensitive-content
• Snapchat: https://support.snapchat.com/en-US/i-need-help
• Tiktok: https://support.tiktok.com/en/privacy-safety/report-inappropriate-content-default
• Minecraft: https://help.minecraft.net/hc/en-us

Track information through credible sources

In the UK, the main source of information about Coronavirus can be found in the NHS site (https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/.

The Imperial College has recently released a free online course about Coronavirus. It is called “Science Matters: Let’s talk about Covid-19”

In addition to providing accessible learning from reputable Universities, online courses from platforms such as Coursera and FutureLearn, offer a good way to interact with people who share a passion for the same subject as you, through peer review assignments and chat forums.

If you are tracking what is going on in relation to this pandemic, the course about Covid-19 from the Imperial College, suggests a few sources of information:

• J-IDEA: Abdul Latif Jameel Institute for Disease and Emergency Analytics/Imperial College
• WHO: As the international body which is responsible for providing monitoring and providing leadership around health trends, World Health Organization webpages have quite a lot of information, including nice overview of COVID-19, news updates, and importantly the situation reports
• CDC: US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention
• ECDC: European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention
• Johns Hopkins: a live disease tracker which provides interesting insights into the progression of the outbreak

Share official NHS information (UK only) to push it into social media algorithms

The more official NHS information you share on social media, the more you can drown misleading information on search engines and social media feeds.

And remember to wash your hands ;)