Brindha, D and Jayaseelan, R and Kadeswaran, S Social Media Reigned by Information or Misinformation about COVID-19: A Phenomenological Study.

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Abstract

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by a newly discovered novel strain of coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2 (WHO, 2020). Most people infected with the COVID-19 will experience mild-to-moderate fever and respiratory illness with no special treatment available. As of 4 April, 2020, WHO reports 976,249 confirmed cases and 50,489 confirmed deaths in 207 countries, areas or territories, and it is too late to claim unavailability of reliable information. With the internet, social media have become the most acclaimed tool for freedom of speech, democracy, truth and source of infotainment. In a pandemic situation like the Covid-19 outbreak, social media become the most-searched venue for information-gathering. However, there are thousands of people spreading information, sensationalism, rumours, misinformation and disinformation making it crucial for Governments and experts to fight the pandemic as well as the infodemic. In this study, the researchers have attempted to find out whether social media is informing or misinforming the public with regard to the Covid-19 pandemic, adopting the qualitative method of phenomenological study. The way people use the internet and social media is changing slowly. The speed at which information spreads on social media is unimaginable and the
findings of this study will help in understanding whether social media is diffusing information or misinformation to the public with regard to the Covid-19 outbreak. In-depth
interviews were conducted using an open-ended question with 13 active social media users, who are frequently following the pandemic updates on different social media platforms.

Item Type: Article
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Depositing User: Users 1 not found.
Date Deposited: 09 Dec 2021 08:35
Last Modified: 09 Dec 2021 08:35
URI: http://ir.psgcas.ac.in/id/eprint/140

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