Information Ecology Research Articles

4.K. Scientific session: The realm of the information ecosystem and its public health impact

Abstract Workshop background As a field of science, study, practice, and policy, infodemic management has emerged during the Covid-19 pandemic but has since been emancipated and can be translated to any topic where information ecosystems play a vital role. In particular relevant to public health, infodemic managers have grown in the ranks of institutes of public health, academic institutions, UN agencies and civil society organizations, tackling outbreaks and public health issues as wide as mpox, Marburg, teen mental health, chronic diseases, seasonal influenza, Ebola and routine immunization. Aiming at improving public health strategies, they are responsible for exploring and investigating personal and organizational (health) information ecosystem, generating evidence, identifying patterns of communication and information flow, tackling the onset and distribution of circulating mis- and disinformation, better understanding information voids, and respond to citizen needs concerning information demands around emergencies. In this workshop, we will focus on several common challenges associated with implementing whole-of-society interventions and strategies for resilience to health misinformation. Solving these challenges, which often are too big just for the health system to solve, will sometimes require creativity, out-of-the-box thinking as well as cross-disciplinary perspectives and new partnerships. Infodemics are also a global challenge that can easily cross borders, which is why country-to-country discussions of experiences by participants is encouraged-while no previous infodemic management experience is required. Workshop objectives The workshop will be organized as a research symposium with five speakers from infodemic management, health information, and health literacy. They will provide a solid introduction to infodemic management from different perspectives and angles. (i) The first presentation will introduce a study on health information seeking and health literacy in midwife-led care and the modern information environment. (ii) The second presentation will discuss how fact-checking organizations can partner within public health for a healthier internet. (iii) The third presentation will focus on unravelling misinformation by investigating the associations between health literacy and resilience. (iv) The fourth presentation will present a novel web-platform for credible health information and tackling misinformation. (v) The fifth presentation focuses on the impact of misinformation on social media in the context of natural disasters. The format of this workshop will be 5x8-minute presentations, including Q&A with the audiences, followed by a 20-minute panel discussion, reflecting the relevance of the results to public health research, practice and policy. Key messages • Infodemic management seeks to quickly understand the public’s information and health needs improve future public health responses, especially during emergencies. • Whole-of-society approaches are needed to address and mitigate harms caused by infodemics by developing closer partnerships and understanding between health systems and the public.

Assessing Academic Perspectives on Infodemic Management and Health Security: A Needs-Based Approach

Abstract Background The information environment significantly impacts public health decisions, behaviors, and health security. Misinformation and disinformation can compromise health interventions and undermine public trust, and this phenomenon, known as the infodemic, is increasingly challenging to address and requires innovation and transformation of public health and education of the health workforce. This study aimed to assess the relevance of infodemic management (IM) to different academic fields and training needs to create a competent workforce. Methods As part of the US Federal Assistance Award within the University Partnership Program between Emory University and the University of Belgrade, a mixed-methods study was conducted to evaluate the curricula of all 31 faculties at the University of Belgrade. An online survey was distributed to faculty deans to assess the current educational framework and opinions on IM in various academic fields. This approach provided a multidimensional view of how IM is perceived and integrated across diverse disciplines. Results The survey received 33 responses from different departments at the University of Belgrade. Over 75% of participants identified misinformation as prevalent in their respective fields. More than half of the respondents believe that students are not sufficiently familiar with the concept of the infodemic and its potential consequences, only 9% believe these topics are well covered in the current curriculum, and over 90% agree that additional content on IM is required to update study programs, indicating a gap in our current educational approach. Conclusions Academic circles have acknowledged the issue of misinformation and its negative impact on public health. Current gaps in academic curricula indicate the critical necessity of integrating IM into educational programs. This innovative approach will provide future specialists with the necessary skills to navigate the complexities of the modern information ecosystem. Key messages • Over 75% of surveyed professors identify misinformation and disinformation as prevalent in their professional fields, indicating a widespread impact. • Over half of professors feel academic programs do not sufficiently equip students to navigate the information ecosystem, with over 90% calling for additional infodemiology content.

Information as public good and public service media in Europe: Introduction to this special issue

The right to public life has been one of the most important achievements of modernity. It was a result of long and painful civil struggles for dignity in a democratic public sphere. While de jure we are all welcome in the public sphere, de facto rapid processes of fragmentation and numerous contexts of misinformation insulate the actual chances of meaningful contribution to public life. Platform users are aggressively approached as consumers of goods and services and continuously stimulated to produce large quantities of any content, just to feed the voracious platforms. The sobering truth is that many people on the private high-tech platforms do not act like true democrats, but like private individuals who pursue very personal aims. At the same time, a private person does not have a mandate to act in the public interest of the rest of the citizens. For these reasons, we turn to information as a public good and public responsibility in this special issue. It is about media as a public service that allows democracy to keep centre stage within a polity. When citizens interact with relevant public information, they build the capacity to control their political environment, to form informed opinions and act upon them. When this basic desideratum is not structurally at the core of society, one cannot even start to consider democracy as the first course of action for the generations to come. Information as a public good is not a thing of nature, but a purposeful action. We take this stance when we approach information as a public good, rather than some residual category of market failure. The scope of this special issue is to analyse and explore the resources and institutional settings that allow information to thrive as a public good in the European contemporary informational ecosystem.

Infodemics and Vaccine Confidence: Protocol for Social Listening and Insight Generation to Inform Action.

In the fall of 2020, the COVID-19 infodemic began to affect public confidence in and demand for COVID-19 vaccines in the United States. While polls indicated what consumers felt regarding COVID-19 vaccines, they did not provide an understanding of why they felt that way or the social and informational influences that factored into vaccine confidence and uptake. It was essential for us to better understand how information ecosystems were affecting the confidence in and demand for COVID-19 vaccines in the United States. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) established an Insights Unit within the COVID-19 Response's Vaccine Task Force in January 2021 to assist the agency in acting more swiftly to address the questions, concerns, perceptions, and misinformation that appeared to be affecting uptake of COVID-19 vaccines. We established a novel methodology to rapidly detect and report on trends in vaccine confidence and demand to guide communication efforts and improve programmatic quality in near real time. We identified and assessed data sources for inclusion through an informal landscape analysis using a snowball method. Selected data sources provided an expansive look at the information ecosystem of the United States regarding COVID-19 vaccines. The CDC's Vaccinate with Confidence framework and the World Health Organization's behavioral and social drivers for vaccine decision-making framework were selected as guiding principles for interpreting generated insights and their impact. We used qualitative thematic analysis methods and a consensus-building approach to identify prevailing and emerging themes, assess their potential threat to vaccine confidence, and propose actions to increase confidence and demand. As of August 2022, we have produced and distributed 34 reports to >950 recipients within the CDC and externally. State and local health departments, nonprofit organizations, professional associations, and congressional committees have referenced and used the reports for learning about COVID-19 vaccine confidence and demand, developing communication strategies, and demonstrating how the CDC monitored and responded to misinformation. A survey of the reports' end users found that nearly 75% (40/53) of respondents found them "very" or "extremely" relevant and 52% (32/61) used the reports to inform communication strategies. In addition, our methodology underwent continuous process improvement to increase the rigor of the research process, the validity of the findings, and the usability of the reports. This methodology can serve as a diagnostic technique for rapidly identifying opportunities for public health interventions and prevention. As the methodology itself is adaptable, it could be leveraged and scaled for use in a variety of public health settings. Furthermore, it could be considered beyond acute public health crises to support adherence to guidance and recommendations and could be considered within routine monitoring and surveillance systems.

Résultats d’un pré-test visant à évaluer l’efficacité d’une communication administrative gouvernementale (note de recherche)

This research note presents partial results of a user test assessing the “communicative effectiveness” (Clerc & Beaudet, 2008) of a written communication aimed at citizens penalized for driving under the influence. The doctoral candidate is interested in the users interaction with an informational ecosystem composed of multiple sources of information. She compares the effectiveness of three ecosystems by checking their effects on users' comprehension, appreciation, and mental workload. These objectives require expanding the usual scope of the “communicative effectiveness” concept and exploring aspects related to reading/using multiple texts in an administrative context. The tests were conducted with 15 French-speaking adults without a high school diploma. An adapted version of the NASA-TLX questionnaire (Hart & Staveland, 1988) was used to measure mental workload. The data suggest that when faced with a letter of a high informational density, users with low literacy levels focus their attention on peripheral details at the expense of the main ideas. No correlation was observed between comprehension and mental workload. The data are now considered a "pre-test" used to refine the research design for a second wave of interviews.

The Relationship Between Misinformation And Social Noise And Their Impact On The Information Ecosystem

Social noise and social entropy are new concepts modeled after Shannon’s information and communication theory, in which the interference of noise between the sender and receiver is measured using entropy. Social noise in the context of social media plays a vital role in magnifying and spreading misinformation, which in turn impacts the overall information ecosystem. Ecosystems are made of interconnected and integrated parts that rely on one another to maintain balance and survive. Studies related to social noise and misinformation have shown that social noise can contribute significantly to spreading misinformation and potentially alter the original intended message (Alsaid & Pampapura, 2022); Alsaid et al. (2024). paper investigates methods of quantifying social noise using entropy to minimize the spread of misinformation on social media, particularly X. Using a combination of Uncertainty Reduction Theory (URT) and Social Entropy, data analysis was performed using one million tweets harvested from #Ukraine. Data analysis involved several methods: sentiment analyses, term association, network maps, and entropy computation. Results have shown a direct relationship between social noise and social entropy as a measure of uncertainty. Also, social noise and uncertainty decrease with the use of URLs and rich content. It is evident from the results that the entropy value is influenced by the accuracy of keywords identified using topic modeling as descriptive of social noise constructs. Semantic analysis of tweets can help improve the definition of social noise constructs, leading to enhanced and more accurate entropy calculation. Future studies may consider advanced machine learning and AI

You are not Alone: Confusion with Software Applications in African University Libraries

Building on Nardi and O’Day’s (1999) classic book on information ecologies exploring the complexities of using multiple software applications in settings including libraries, we note that even though the technologies have changed over the decades, the importance of the work of librarians in assisting patrons has not changed much. Keeping up with popular, constantly evolving software packages like EndNote, Koha, NewGenlib, Baobab eLibrary, Openbiblio, Evergreen, Greenstone, and D-Space to support digital collections in various formats remains a constant challenge. constant challenge. Some librarians feel daunted by learning and explaining new software in a constantly changing technological ecosystem, while others embrace the challenge. As well as using software for their work, librarians have the responsibility to help their patrons learn, adapt, and apply new software to meet their information needs more effectively and efficiently. Like other client-facing professionals, librarians must also be mindful of the ‘myths’ (Ehrlich & Cash, 1994) that clients understand their problems and use online information if available. These software-related challenges have been documented in many countries (Asim et al., 2023, Adhikari, 2023), but our research identified a gap in the literature regarding the situation in Africa. The study implies the importance of education for librarians in adopting the right software and avoiding confusion. We conducted a review of LIS papers harvested from the LIS Ebscohost database about this topic in various countries of Africa between 2012 and 2022, identifying 75 papers as relevant according to our criteria. The poster presents the findings of the scoping review.

Book Review: Effective Journalism: How the Information Ecosystem Works and What Journalists Should Do About It, by Jessica Roberts

Book Review: <i>Effective Journalism: How the Information Ecosystem Works and What Journalists Should Do About It</i>, by Jessica Roberts

An Information Ecosystem Map of Resources Supporting the Mobilization and Discovery of Paleontological Specimen Data

Over the last decade, the United States paleontological collections community has invested heavily in the digitization of specimen-based data, including over 10 million USD funded through the National Science Foundation’s Advancing Digitization of Biodiversity Collections program. Fossil specimen data—9.0 million records and counting (Global Biodiversity Information Facility 2024)—are now accessible on open science platforms such as the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). However, the full potential of this data is far from realized due to fundamental challenges associated with mobilization, discoverability, and interoperability of paleontological information within the existing cyberinfrastructure landscape and data pipelines. Additionally, it can be difficult for individuals with varying expertise to develop a comprehensive understanding of the existing landscape due to its breadth and complexity. Here, we present preliminary results from a project aiming to explore how we might address these problems. Funding from the US National Science Foundation (NSF) to the University of Colorado Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, and Arizona State University will result in, among other products, an “ecosystem map” for the paleontological collections community. This map will be an information-rich visualization of entities (e.g. concepts, systems, platforms, mechanisms, drivers, tools, documentation, data, standards, people, organizations) operating in, intersecting with, or existing in parallel to our domain. We are inspired and informed by similar efforts to map the biodiversity informatics landscape (Bingham et al. 2017) and the research infrastructure landscape (Distributed System of Scientific Collections 2024), as well as by many ongoing metadata cataloging projects, e.g. re3data and the Global Registry of Scientific Collections (GRSciColl). Our strategy for developing this ecosystem map is to model the existing information and systems landscape by characterizing entities, e.g. potentially in a graph database as nodes with relationships to other nodes. The ecosystem map will enable us to provide guidance for communities working across different sectors of the landscape, promoting a shared understanding of the ecosystem that everyone works in together. We can also use the map to identify points of entry and engagement at various stages of the paleontological data process, and to engage diverse members within the paleontological community. We see three primary user types for this map: people new(er) to the community, people with expertise in a subset of the community, and people working to integrate initiatives and systems across communities. Each of these user types needs tailored access to the ecosystem map and its community knowledge. By promoting shared knowledge with the map, users will be able to identify their own space within the ecosystem and the connections or partnerships that they can utilize to expand their knowledge or resources, relieving the burden on any single individual to hold a comprehensive understanding. For example, the flow of taxonomic information between publications, collections, digital resources, and biodiversity aggregators is not straightforward or easy to understand. A person with expertise in collections care may want to use the ecosystem map to understand why taxonomic identifications associated with their specimen occurrence records are showing up incorrectly when published to GBIF. We envision that our final ecosystem map will visualize the flow of taxonomic information and how it is used to interpret specimen occurrence data, thereby highlighting to this user where problems may be happening and whom to ask for help in addressing them (Fig. 1). Ultimately, development of this map will allow us to identify mobilization pathways for paleontological data, highlight core cyberinfrastructure resources, define cyberinfrastructure gaps, strategize future partnerships, promote shared knowledge, and engage a broader array of expertise in the process. Contributing domain-based evidence FAIRly*2 requires expertise that bridges the content (e.g. paleontology) and the mechanics (e.g. informatics). By centering the role of humans in open science cyberinfrastructure throughout our process, we hope to develop systems that create and sustain such expertise.

The challenges of media and information literacy in the artificial intelligence ecology: deepfakes and misinformation

In the ecosystem of artificial intelligence (AI), generative models enable the creation of hyper-realistic manipulations that are extremely plausible due to the precision of the audiovisual objects. These deepfakes are undetectable thanks to their components, which heightens concerns about the distortion of reality in the information ecosystem and how the ability to distinguish between real and fake audiovisual content affects public trust and democratic systems. This is a major challenge for media and information literacy if it is to combat misinfor­mation effectively. In this context, this study presents the results of a quasi-experiment conducted with 80 young people from the Community of Madrid (Spain) to assess their ability to detect deepfakes in immersive environments and to establish whether the context-identifying elements that enable detection of the reputation of the media source shape the credibility of the images. The results show that the images take precedence over the context identifiers, preventing a critical reading of the information that would make it possible to detect visual forgeries, something that is reinforced by their exceptional verisimilitude. It is concluded that the new post-humanist biome of virtual reality and artificial intelligence requires a reorien­tation of media and information literacy to raise the public’s awareness and educate them to make them less susceptible to disinformation based on deepfakes created with generative models.

“We Were Beaten Down”: Parents' Concerns about Children's Digital Media Use

ABSTRACTParents' concerns about children's digital media use were investigated using data from semi‐structured interviews with 17 parents of children ages five to 11 at three branches of a U.S. urban public library system. Data were analyzed using collaborative inductive thematic analysis and analyzed with the lens of culturally‐constructed anxieties about new media. The most common concerns included worries about exposure to inappropriate content, worries about digital media taking up time that children would otherwise spend engaging in more meaningful activities, concerns about safety and privacy, and worries about negative effects on children's behaviors, attitudes, and social skills. Further analysis showed parents' deeper concern for children's healthy development to underlie these narrower concerns. The authors conclude with the recommendation to shift the framing of discourse around parenting with digital media from risk protection to digital media education. Such a shift could raise awareness that framing children and digital media only in terms of risks is overly simplistic, and it could help parents come to understand that children's digital media use is not just risky but also an opportunity for children to derive educational and social benefits, and learn how to operate in a digital media‐dominated information ecosystem.

The Geo‐Socio‐Personal Model: Mapping Complex Information Ecosystems for Research‐related Information Behaviors

ABSTRACTCreating international collaborative teams is common to address complex research problems in low‐income countries. Teams involve experts from low‐ and high‐income countries who must share information and communicate across interpersonal, organizational, and national contingencies and geographic and temporal borders. Effective information sharing between people and across institutions requires nuanced understandings of various information ecosystems, including the relationships between attitudes, values, and behaviors of individuals and organizations. This paper reports on an evidence‐based model developed from a qualitative study of research teams operating in two countries (Lao People's Democratic Republic and Australia), using constructivist grounded theory methodology. The resulting Geo‐Socio‐Personal (GSP) Model for Complex Information Ecosystems reflects multicultural relationships at four levels: geo‐structural, geo‐social, organizational, and inter−/intra‐personal. The model examines contingencies affecting information behaviors across all four levels, including interpersonal, organizational, and international relations, and the economic, political, and structural levels that posit these relations.

AI content detection in the emerging information ecosystem: new obligations for media and tech companies

The world is about to be swamped by an unprecedented wave of AI-generated content. We need reliable ways of identifying such content, to supplement the many existing social institutions that enable trust between people and organisations and ensure social resilience. In this paper, we begin by highlighting an important new development: providers of AI content generators have new obligations to support the creation of reliable detectors for the content they generate. These new obligations arise mainly from the EU’s newly finalised AI Act, but they are enhanced by the US President’s recent Executive Order on AI, and by several considerations of self-interest. These new steps towards reliable detection mechanisms are by no means a panacea—but we argue they will usher in a new adversarial landscape, in which reliable methods for identifying AI-generated content are commonly available. In this landscape, many new questions arise for policymakers. Firstly, if reliable AI-content detection mechanisms are available, who should be required to use them? And how should they be used? We argue that new duties arise for media and Web search companies arise for media companies, and for Web search companies, in the deployment of AI-content detectors. Secondly, what broader regulation of the tech ecosystem will maximise the likelihood of reliable AI-content detectors? We argue for a range of new duties, relating to provenance-authentication protocols, open-source AI generators, and support for research and enforcement. Along the way, we consider how the production of AI-generated content relates to ‘free expression’, and discuss the important case of content that is generated jointly by humans and AIs.

Factors influencing user's health information discernment abilities in online health communities: based on SEM and fsQCA.

Online health communities have become the main source for people to obtain health information. However, the existence of poor-quality health information, misinformation, and rumors in online health communities increases the challenges in governing information quality. It not only affects users' health decisions but also undermines social stability. It is of great significance to explore the factors that affect users' ability to discern information in online health communities. This study integrated the Stimulus-Organism-Response Theory, Information Ecology Theory and the Mindsponge Theory to constructed a model of factors influencing users' health information discernment abilities in online health communities. A questionnaire was designed based on the variables in the model, and data was collected. Utilizing Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) in conjunction with fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA), the study analyzed the complex causal relationships among stimulus factors, user perception, and the health information discernment abilities. The results revealed that the dimensions of information, information environment, information technology, and information people all positively influenced health information discernment abilities. Four distinct configurations were identified as triggers for users' health information discernment abilities. The core conditions included information source, informational support, technological security, technological facilitation, and perceived risk. It was also observed that information quality and emotional support can act as substitutes for one another, as can informational support and emotional support. This study provides a new perspective to study the influencing factors of health information discernment abilities of online health community users. It can provide experiences and references for online health community information services, information resource construction and the development of users' health information discernment abilities.

Screen use and mental health: the need to strengthen the information ecosystem

Screen use and mental health: the need to strengthen the information ecosystem

Centrality of Information Sources in Agricultural Input Networks: Insights from Social Network Analysis

Input dealers being credible localite sources of information for farmers have huge potential of aiding faster diffusion of innovations. Under this context, understanding how the input dealers’ access and exchange information is essential for enriching them with updated information and improving the agricultural value chain. This study employs Social Network Analysis (SNA) to explore the centrality measures—degree centrality, closeness centrality, and betweenness centrality—of various information sources utilized by input dealers in Nagar Kurnool and Wanaparthy districts of Telangana during 2020. The analysis reveals that traditional sources, such as extension agents and other input dealers, are highly central to the network, with both scoring the highest in degree and closeness centrality (0.733 and 0.698, respectively). These sources are not only frequently accessed but also serve as key bridges within the network, facilitating the flow of information. Digital platforms like smartphones show growing importance, with significant degree centrality (0.667), yet they play a less critical bridging role. In contrast, social media and print media exhibit lower centrality scores, indicating their peripheral influence. The findings suggest that while traditional information sources remain dominant, digital platforms are emerging as valuable tools for information dissemination highlighting the need for strategies that strengthen traditional channels while integrating digital tools to enhance the efficiency and reach of agricultural information networks. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of the complex information ecosystem in agriculture, offering insights for policymakers and stakeholders aiming to optimize information flows within the sector.

Control of false information in social networks: A short review of communication mechanisms and management strategies

In the digital era, social networks serve as critical platforms for information dissemination but are also plagued by the spread of false information, which can undermine public trust and incite societal discord. This study examines the dynamics of false information dissemination on social networks, including its types, influential factors, and detection and management strategies. We explore various forms of false informationsuch as impersonation, misleading content, and AI-generated forgeriesand analyze the role of user interactions, network topology, and macro factors in the spread of misinformation. Detection methods are reviewed, highlighting advancements in technologies like deep learning, and management strategies are proposed, including user behavior regulation and dissemination path control. Challenges related to legal, ethical, and privacy issues are discussed, alongside the complexities of user behavior and future research directions. The findings underscore the need for comprehensive, adaptive approaches to safeguard the integrity of online information ecosystems.

Combining SIFT and the Information Needs, Types, and Qualities Approaches: A Framework-Informed Strategy for Information Literacy Instruction

Increasingly, librarians are encouraged to deliver information literacy sessions that go beyond finding and using traditional scholarly sources. They are asked to cover a wider range of the information ecosystem and develop students’ capacity to critically engage with Google and the open web. In this study, we incorporated these learning objectives in an introductory computational thinking course, combining two information literacy pedagogies. For evaluating sources, we used Mike Caulfield’s SIFT technique (Stop, Investigate the source, Find better coverage; Trace claims to the original source); for resource discovery, Lane Wilkinson’s Information Needs, Types and Qualities lesson. We adapted Wilkinson’s worksheet, asked students to apply the SIFT technique to their chosen sources, and added a reflection component where students documented their research process. We conducted a content analysis of the assignment responses and coded evidence of students demonstrating knowledge practices and dispositions of two frames from the ACRL Framework, Authority is Constructed and Contextual and Searching as Strategic Exploration. Our analysis showed that students responded well to learning the SIFT technique, particularly at investigating sources; furthermore, Wilkinson’s pedagogy for source discovery encouraged students to use a wide variety of research tools. The reflection component further revealed evidence of students’ research processes and metacognition. We found this unit to be an effective means of assessing these Framework concepts, and argue that it can be applied to other topics and disciplines.

Ethical Considerations in Infodemic Management: Systematic Scoping Review.

During health emergencies, effective infodemic management has become a paramount challenge. A new era marked by a rapidly changing information ecosystem, combined with the widespread dissemination of misinformation and disinformation, has magnified the complexity of the issue. For infodemic management measures to be effective, acceptable, and trustworthy, a robust framework of ethical considerations is needed. This systematic scoping review aims to identify and analyze ethical considerations and procedural principles relevant to infodemic management, ultimately enhancing the effectiveness of these practices and increasing trust in stakeholders performing infodemic management practices with the goal of safeguarding public health. The review involved a comprehensive examination of the literature related to ethical considerations in infodemic management from 2002 to 2022, drawing from publications in PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science. Policy documents and relevant material were included in the search strategy. Papers were screened against inclusion and exclusion criteria, and core thematic areas were systematically identified and categorized following PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines. We analyzed the literature to identify substantive ethical principles that were crucial for guiding actions in the realms of infodemic management and social listening, as well as related procedural ethical principles. In this review, we consider ethical principles that are extensively deliberated upon in the literature, such as equity, justice, or respect for autonomy. However, we acknowledge the existence and relevance of procedural practices, which we also consider as ethical principles or practices that, when implemented, enhance the efficacy of infodemic management while ensuring the respect of substantive ethical principles. Drawing from 103 publications, the review yielded several key findings related to ethical principles, approaches, and guidelines for practice in the context of infodemic management. Community engagement, empowerment through education, and inclusivity emerged as procedural principles and practices that enhance the quality and effectiveness of communication and social listening efforts, fostering trust, a key emerging theme and crucial ethical principle. The review also emphasized the significance of transparency, privacy, and cybersecurity in data collection. This review underscores the pivotal role of ethics in bolstering the efficacy of infodemic management. From the analyzed body of literature, it becomes evident that ethical considerations serve as essential instruments for cultivating trust and credibility while also facilitating the medium-term and long-term viability of infodemic management approaches.

Deciphering misinformation and disinformation: insights from structural coupling and penetration

PurposeThis paper aims to enhance the understanding of the distinct origins, mechanisms, growth paths and societal impacts of misinformation and disinformation through the theoretical lens of Niklas Luhmann’s social systems theory, particularly focusing on structural coupling and penetration.Design/methodology/approachThis paper is based on a conceptual study that investigates the phenomena of mis-/disinformation based on reviews of the literature on social systems theory, particularly focusing on structural coupling and penetration.FindingsThis theoretical analysis has led to the postulations that mis-/disinformation would cause social conflicts through divergent routes and that they do not necessarily have negative consequences in society. That is, conflicts or communication of contradictions serve for the reproduction and change in social systems and, furthermore, serve society as an immune mechanism. We speculate that similarities in the manifestation of mis-/disinformation could stem from the influence of amplifiers, such as moral intervention. Nevertheless, we posit that disinformation stemming from intentional penetration is more likely to cause societal dysfunction than misinformation, leading to conflict overload, polarized information ecosystems and potential system failures.Originality/valueIt provides a broader theoretical perspective for a better understanding of the roots and mechanisms of mis-/disinformation and their social consequences. It also engages with unresolved debates over structural couplings and penetration, showing how distinguishing these concepts enhance analytical clarity and explanatory power.