Researchers advise: Health authorities should use the same channel for information!
Conspiracy theories spread on Twitter usually contain many rhetorical questions and more claims with explicit references to authorities. Tweets that promote conspiracy theories are often published via a decentralized network. This is shown by a recent study by researchers at the University of Winchester .
Respond with facts
Researchers examined the influence of Twitter in spreading or debunking conspiracy theories related to the Zika virus outbreak in 2015 and 2016. They analyzed the content of more than 25,000 tweets and the characteristics of the social networks used for distribution.
“Although conspiracy theories are nothing new, the emergence of social media has created a channel for rumors to spread more quickly. Public health authorities could help ease public fears by using the same channels to deliver more accurate and reassuring messages,” explains Brenda K. Wiederhold of the Interactive Media Institute , San Diego.
Central hub
“An important characteristic of any network structure is its degree of centralization and for this factor one can expect a difference between the disseminator and the revealer. “Conspiracy theories are generally viewed as counter-narratives that appear contrary to official or mainstream accounts, and these theories generally exist in many competing variants,” the study authors explain.
Accordingly, “conspiracy theory networks may have a few central nodes that act as an intermediary for many different competing suspicions.” Therefore, the researchers hypothesize that “due to this tendency, networks of propagandists may be more centralized than those of debunkers.”
To the paper “Propagating and Debunking Conspiracy Theories on Twitter During the 2015-2016 Zika Virus Outbreak”
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