Abstract
Social media has been crucial for seeking and communicating COVID-19 information. However, social media has also promulgated misinformation, which is particularly concerning among Asian Americans who may rely on in-language information and utilize social media platforms to connect to Asia-based networks. There is limited literature examining social media use for COVID-19 information and the subsequent impact of misinformation on health behaviors among Asian Americans. This perspective reviews recent research, news, and gray literature to examine the dissemination of COVID-19 misinformation on social media platforms to Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, and South Asian Americans. We discuss the linkage of COVID-19 misinformation to health behaviors, with emphasis on COVID-19 vaccine misinformation and vaccine decision-making in Asian American communities. We then discuss community- and research-driven responses to investigate misinformation during the pandemic. Lastly, we propose recommendations to mitigate misinformation and address the COVID-19 infodemic among Asian Americans.
Highlights
During public health emergencies like the 2003 SARS pandemic, 2009 H1N1 swine flu pandemic, 2016 Ebola epidemic, and current COVID-19 pandemic [1,2,3,4], the internet and social media serve as hubs for the growth and rapid dissemination of information and misinformation globally, often contributing to confusion in public health campaigns
Asian Americans’ pattern of utilizing social media and other online sources for information during the COVID-19 pandemic is analogous to the use of these platforms during the 2003 SARS pandemic [2], during which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported evidence of substantial misinformation that contributed to growing confusion and fear
Social media has inevitably promulgated the transnational exchange of COVID-19 misinformation during the pandemic, prompting academic and community action to combat COVID19 misinformation on social media
Summary
During public health emergencies like the 2003 SARS pandemic, 2009 H1N1 swine flu pandemic, 2016 Ebola epidemic, and current COVID-19 pandemic [1,2,3,4], the internet and social media serve as hubs for the growth and rapid dissemination of information and misinformation globally, often contributing to confusion in public health campaigns. Asian Americans’ pattern of utilizing social media and other online sources for information during the COVID-19 pandemic is analogous to the use of these platforms during the 2003 SARS pandemic [2], during which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported evidence of substantial misinformation that contributed to growing confusion and fear. In order to improve eHealth literacy and mitigate COVID-19 misinformation among Asian Americans, in-language training and materials need to be made more available Through these trainings and materials, Asian American community members can be provided with better tools to decipher between reliable, accurate scientific information on COVID-19 and misinformation on social media platforms. Public health officials need to improve media literacy in Asian American communities, informing and guiding community members on how to analyze and evaluate the quality of diverse media platforms, including social media, films, newspapers, television shows, etc., for accurate scientific information [63]. Interdisciplinary research examining the psychology of misinformation can inform public health efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19 misinformation [70]
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