Infodemic: Is too much information harmful?
‘We’re not just fighting an epidemic; we’re fighting an infodemic,’ were the words used by the director of the World Health Organization when describing the spread of information during the current health crisis. The videos and articles which contained misleading or inaccurate content circulated among the population faster and easier than the virus itself. Like COVID-19, ‘infodemic’ is nasty, confusing, and scary.
Freedom of speech and independent news sources are important components of democratic society. Mass communication is a great force and is indispensable for the survival of public debate. As with every form of power, though, it can be used in a bad or good way. As with a coin, everything has a double face: the yin and the yang - the positive and negative. Free information has to be at the core of a liberal society. Yet having too many diverging points of view is confusing. What and who can we trust?
We are constantly bombarded with so many distractions and forms of information. They are addictive and it is difficult to stop. The result of this is an informative overdose which inebriates and confuses our brains, twisting and deforming our visions. We are inside a Matrix where entertainment and information are blended together. Here, consumerist principles treat pieces of news as product to sell. As taught by the best of political propaganda and advertisement theories, taking advantage of the susceptibility of human emotions and using catchy words are the base for success. However, if the purpose of the content overload is to become viral rather than to be informative, the natural consequence will be a distorted vision of reality. There is too much information created purely for shocking, panicking, confusing, and poisoning public opinion. There are few media outlets, unfortunately, which adhere to their main role: to inform.
They say that in moments of need you understand who your true friends are. If this is true, the pandemic has revealed the worst of global communication. The current crisis highlights that a constant stream of breaking news makes it more difficult to understand issues and, consequently, reach the final truth. Sometimes, too often, the quantity of the news we consume is too much to be able to stay up-to-date and have an in-depth knowledge of current affairs. I personally experienced a sense of fear and confusion when the pandemic started to hit Europe. After all, what was the intent behind the tireless repetition of the death toll if not for heightening the atmosphere to one of terror? From the very beginning we were confronted with lots of diverging pieces of analysis and opinions by accredited doctors and virologists. A turmoil of voices that, instead of helping me to understand what it was going on, made me feel more lost.
The problem is rooted in the difficulty of tracing the quantity and quality of information. Today, social media is one of the primary means of keeping up-to-date with news across the globe. When we scroll through our feeds, we come across a mass of information and conflicting opinions on daily basis, not to mention a barrage of ‘fake news’. Hoaxes are as old as time, but now these platforms allow misleading information to be spread too easily and quickly around the world. All it takes is a click. Many - too many - online publications are sustained by their clickbait headlines and ‘fake news’ stories. Behind their shining screens, armchair experts are always ready to draw conclusions, dispense dubious advice, and intentionally or unintentionally share misleading and captivating content. All of this is in order to gain a mere couple more likes.
What are the implications of all of this? Due to various digital scandals, like the 2016 US presidential election and the deliberate spread of misinformation online, citizens are pushing governments to regulate social media platforms more severely. Users are confused: they don’t know who, or what, to trust. The truthfulness of the media industry is being questioned. As a survey conducted by Sky News’ YouGov poll at the end of April revealed, newspapers and TV journalists have lost the trust of Brits. After job cuts and a tsunami of misinformation, UK news media is facing a real challenge. In a world in which information is in the hands of the masses, journalists have to step up. They have to engage with public conversation and check the reliability of news that circulates on the web and contextualise it. We are in need of ethical journalism: the public demand thoughtful and truthful content.
Another unsettling reality of the infodemic world is that, quite often, certain news stories are featured at the expenses of others. For example, why does Western mainstream media fail to talk about the worrying backsliding of democracy in the Balkans, and instead insist on providing coverage of cases of Coronavirus? What about the geopolitical shifts that have been created by the pandemic? Even the scream for help by the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA) escaped the spotlight. ‘A Call to Defend Democracy’ was launched on the 25th of June in the form of an open letter, and was supported by 73 pro-democracy institutions and political and civil leaders from all over the world. It suggested that democracy - the base upon which fair and honest information can be built and defended - is at risk.
Dazed by too much information and disorientated by misleading news, people are feeling lost. Sometimes this information overdose can be addictive; as with alcohol and drugs, our attention spans are weakened. Some people become more malleable and easily susceptible to false information. Those who are sceptical don’t know which ‘truth’ is the right one to believe. Ultimately, the pandemic highlighted that the the media industry needs to regain public trust.
We need to find a way to avoid drowning in this ocean of misinformation. We need to be educated to analyse and compare information. It is important to find time to think before deciding what is the truth. Take a break from breaking news. An in-depth reading of a topic can prepare you to approach an issue without prejudice or ignorance. When we read or watch something, we have get to its source. We should never take everything for granted. Sometimes, we have to be aware, also, of the accuracy and inaccuracy of our own perceptions.
Written by Chiara Castro
Chiara is an Italian writer based in Bristol. She likes writing about things that matter and stuff she loves. Travels, books, movies and good beers are some of them. Check her out here https://medium.com/@chiaracastro