Abstract
Since the emergence of the recent Coronavirus Disease of 2019 (COVID-19) and its spread as a pandemic, there has been a parallel spread of false and misleading information, known as an infodemic. The COVID-19 infodemic has induced distrust in scientific communities, governments, institutions and the population, and a confidence crisis that has led to harmful health behaviours, also impacting on mental health. The aim of this study is to provide a scoping review of the scientific literature about COVID-19-related misinformation and conspiracy theories, focusing on the construction of a conceptual framework which is useful for the interpretation of the conspiracy theory phenomenon surrounding COVID-19, and its consequences. Particular socio-environmental conditions (i.e., low educational level, younger age), psychological processes and attitudes (such as low levels of epistemic trust, the avoidance of uncertainty, extraversion, collective narcissism, and a conspiracy-prone mindset), and contextual factors (e.g., high levels of self-perceived risk and anxiety) seem to underpin the adherence to beliefs that are not solely the domain of paranoids and extremists but a widespread phenomenon that has caused important health, social and political consequences.
Highlights
The pandemic spread of COVID-19 has been associated, since late 2019, with a crisis of health systems and economies in parallel with the globally spreading of often conflicting information regarding the COVID-19 illness, defined by the World HealthOrganization (WHO) as an “infodemic” [1].An infodemic is defined as the spread of too much information—including false or misleading information in the digital and physical environments—during a disease outbreak [1]
A scoping review of the literature was undertaken, according to the framework outlined by Tong and colleagues [21] posing the question “What is known from existing research about factors potentially associated with the development and the spread of irrational beliefs concerning COVID-19? What is the impact of such irrational beliefs on social behaviour and compliance with public health recommendations? What interventions could be useful to address these effects?”
In a thematic summary deductive approach, we identified all of the instances in which the COVID-19 conspiracy theories (CTs) phenomenon was analysed, and we integrated them into a conceptual framework
Summary
An infodemic is defined as the spread of too much information—including false or misleading information in the digital and physical environments—during a disease outbreak [1]. It causes confusion and can worsen risk-taking behaviours, with potential harmful results. It leads to mistrust in health authorities and undermines the public health response Nowadays, such infodemics are aided by the ease with which misinformation—. Can be accessed and shared, especially online This is exacerbated by another phenomenon: disinformation, which is the deliberate attempt of individuals, groups and organizations to confuse or manipulate, for economic or political reasons [2], or to disrupt public communication processes [3]
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