Abstract
ObjectiveOnline COVID-19 misinformation is a serious concern in Brazil, home to the second-largest WhatsApp user base and the second-highest number of COVID-19 deaths. We examined the extent to which WhatsApp users might be willing to correct their peers who might share COVID-19 misinformation.Materials and MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional online survey using Qualtrics among 726 Brazilian adults to identify the types of social correction behaviors (SCBs) and health and technological factors that shape the performance of these behaviors.ResultsBrazil’s WhatsApp users expressed medium to high levels of willingness to engage in SCBs. We discovered 3 modes of SCBs: correction to the group, correction to the sender only, and passive or no correction. WhatsApp users with lower levels of educational attainment and from younger age groups were less inclined to provide corrections. Lastly, the perceived severity of COVID-19 and the ability to critically evaluate a message were positively associated with providing corrections to either the group or the sender.DiscussionThe demographic analyses point to the need to strengthen information literacy among population groups that are younger with lower levels of educational attainment. These efforts could facilitate individual-level contributions to the global fight against misinformation by the World Health Organization in collaboration with member states, social media companies, and civil society.ConclusionOur study suggests that Brazil’s WhatsApp users might be willing to actively respond with feedback when exposed to COVID-19 misinformation by their peers on small-world networks like WhatsApp groups.
Highlights
Online misinformation,defined as “any health-related claim of fact that is false based on current scientific consensus”,[1] has posed barriers to the promotion of preventive behaviours and caused social unrest during the COVID-19 pandemic
We conducted a cross-sectional online survey using Qualtrics among N=726 Brazilian adults to identify the types of social correction behaviours (SCBs) and health and technological factors that shape the performance of these behaviours
Our study suggests that Brazil’s WhatsApp users might be willing to actively respond with feedback when exposed to COVID-19 misinformation by their peers on small world networks like WhatsApp groups
Summary
Online misinformation,defined as “any health-related claim of fact that is false based on current scientific consensus”,[1] has posed barriers to the promotion of preventive behaviours and caused social unrest during the COVID-19 pandemic. This global problem has invited a range of responses from several stakeholders such as social media companies and the. We first present the conceptual ideas that informed our study, describe the study context, detail the methods, present our findings, and discuss their implications for theory, policy and practice surrounding the management of online health misinformation that has returned to thwart COVID-19 vaccination programs
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