Transnational Network Dynamics of Problematic Information Diffusion

Table of Links

Abstract

Transnational Network Dynamics of Problematic Information Diffusion

Theoretical Framework

Methodology

Statistical Analysis and Results

Discussion and Limitations

Conclusions and Policy Implications, and References

Transnational Network Dynamics of Problematic Information Diffusion

Global viral diseases provide fertile ground for conspiracy theories, a prominent form of online misinformation, to spread (Cheng et al., 2021; Wood, 2018). For instance, COVID-19 conspiracy theories have been studied as a global phenomenon affecting predominantly English-speaking countries without explicit consideration of territorial variance (Cox & Halpin, n.d.; Kauk et al., 2021; Kearney et al., 2020; Yang et al., 2021). This is especially true regarding the transnational dimensions which contribute to the emergence and diffusion of conspiracy theories and misinformation at specific time points and geographic locations. This has led to a Westernized conceptualization of conspiracy theories and misinformation that assumes that the psychological dynamics and social conditions of the latter in Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic (WEIRD) populations are generalizable to other populations (Henrich et al., 2010). It has been shown, however, that problematic and potentially harmful information has spread rapidly in online settings across non-WEIRD countries: in Latin America, for example, COVID-19 misinformation has been viral on social media, namely WhatsApp and Facebook (Valencia, 2021).

This study analyzes the online diffusion of COVID-19 conspiracy theories and misinformation across the Global South by comparing two cases of problematic information spread across public Facebook groups during the first 18 months of the pandemic and that vary in the cultural-linguistic dimension. The first case looks at the diffusion of COVID-19 conspiracy theories among Latin American countries and Hispanic communities on Facebook by studying the proliferation and diffusion of content related to the Médicos por la Verdad[1] (MPV) organization. The second case serves as a comparison and looks at a similar COVID-19 problematic information diffusion across francophone countries, in particular the one fueled by misleading remarks made early in the pandemic by French microbiologist Didier Raoult (DR) regarding the alleged efficacy of hydroxychloroquine to treat patients infected with the virus (Sayare, 2020).

The importance of both of these cases relies on the fact that the online spread of problematic information in times of heightened uncertainty and possibility of risk increase is twofold. Not only is it comparatively understudied in non-WEIRD contexts, meaning that the Global South, representing a significant proportion of the world’s population, has become a fertile ground for problematic information to blossom unchecked. It is also important to note that the peoples of the Global South are more vulnerable than those who live in WEIRD countries, meaning that the risk posed by their exposure to problematic online information is extremely disproportionate.

[1] Spanish for Doctors for Truth