Low-quality Information Research Articles

Social media behavior is associated with vaccine hesitancy.

Understanding how vaccine hesitancy relates to online behavior is crucial for addressing current and future disease outbreaks. We combined survey data measuring attitudes toward the COVID-19 vaccine with Twitter data in two studies (N 1=464 Twitter users, N 2=1,600 Twitter users) with preregistered hypotheses to examine how real-world social media behavior is associated with vaccine hesitancy in the United States (US) and the United Kingdom (UK). In Study 1, we found that following the accounts of US Republican politicians or hyper-partisan/low-quality news sites were associated with lower confidence in the COVID-19 vaccine-even when controlling for key demographics such as self-reported political ideology and education. US right-wing influencers (e.g. Candace Owens, Tucker Carlson) had followers with the lowest confidence in the vaccine. Network analysis revealed that participants who were low and high in vaccine confidence separated into two distinct communities (or "echo chambers"), and centrality in the more right-wing community was associated with vaccine hesitancy in the US, but not in the UK. In Study 2, we found that one's likelihood of not getting the vaccine was associated with retweeting and favoriting low-quality news websites on Twitter. Altogether, we show that vaccine hesitancy is associated with following, sharing, and interacting with low-quality information online, as well as centrality within a conservative-leaning online community in the US. These results illustrate the potential challenges of encouraging vaccine uptake in a polarized social media environment.

Quality of information on weight loss drugs from South American websites

In the face of digital technologies that help search for health information, an assessment of the quality of available information is necessary. This study aimed to evaluate the quality of information on weight loss drugs on websites available in South America. Websites from five countries in South America, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Uruguay, were selected using the Google search tool in Portuguese and Spanish, with content about weight loss drugs. The quality of the information was analyzed using a specific health tool, while the pharmacological content was analyzed using a tool specifically created by the Delphi method. Seventy-six websites from Argentina, Brazil and Chile (20 websites each) and Colombia and Uruguay each with eight evaluated websites, were analyzed. Uruguay presented low-quality information on all websites for all the dimensions analyzed, while Brazil and Colombia presented low-quality information in the pharmacological dimension. In the final data, 92% (p = 0.9934) of the websites were considered low quality and the rest were of moderate quality. We observed low-quality information on South American websites regarding weight loss drugs where there is a risk that the user's understanding and ultimately their quality of life may be adversely affected. • Weight loss drugs websites in South America have a low quality of information. • Internet information on obesity pharmacology presented the worst quality. • The lack of regulation on the internet spreads fake news.

‘I know something you don’t know’: The asymmetry of ‘strategic intelligence’ and the great perils of asymmetric alliances

Given that South Korea is a reliant consumer of the United States’ ‘strategic intelligence’ concerning North Korea’s imminent threat, this article assumes an asymmetric market for trading such information between the two allied states. Based on the autonomy–security trade-off model, South Korea may purchase the United States’ strategic intelligence about North Korea’s threat at the cost of its political autonomy. When South Korea does not offer sufficient policy concessions, however, the United States has more incentive to transmit ‘low-quality information’ because the recipient cannot challenge its authenticity, and this information may bolster the opposition parties in South Korean politics by signalling the current Korean leadership’s poor performance in the national security arena. Given the United States’ control over strategic intelligence, South Korea faces the risk of being manipulated to make policy decisions that are at odds with its own interests, but may serve US interests.

Low-carbon city initiatives and analyst behaviour: A quasi-natural experiment

This paper investigates how environmental regulation and action affect analyst behaviour. Exploiting staggered enactment of low carbon city (LCC) initiatives in a difference-in-differences (DiD) setting, we observe that analyst forecast accuracy (dispersion) is significantly lower (greater) for client firms headquartered in cities covered by the LCC pilot programme, especially among firms with a low-quality information environment. The LCC effort affects analyst behaviour via increased firm risk and reduced earnings predictability, causing enhanced site visits and coverage. The results are stronger in cities with more rigorous enforcement and regulation intensity, for private firms with high business complexity and in heavily polluting industries. Results are robust to DiD models with entropy balancing matching, placebo tests, parallel trend tests, and a battery of fixed effects. Collectively, they reveal that environmental regulation has real impacts on analyst forecast behaviour.

Institutional investors’ site visits and corporate employment decision-making

This study examines the effect of institutional investors’ site visits on corporate employment decision-making. Using a unique dataset of corporate site visits (CSVs) to the listed firms in China, we find that CSVs are associated with less labor investment inefficiency. The effect is more pronounced in firms with lower information quality, worse corporate governance, and severe financial constraints. Our results are robust to endogeneity concerns. Further analysis suggests that labor investment inefficiency leads to lower future performance. Overall, our results are consistent with the view that CSVs improve information quality, corporate governance, and access to finance, which in turn, mitigates inefficient labor investment.

IMPLEMENTASI MEDIA PEMBELAJARAN OPOS UNTUK MENINGKATKAN HASIL BELAJAR TEKNOLOGI INFORMASI DAN KOMUNIKASI KELAS X IIS SMA NEGERI 7 BULUKUMBA

Abstract: Classroom action research is caused by the low quality of information and communication technology guidance results. This is due to the absence of ICT subjects in the structure of the school curriculum that causes students' treatment of ICT subjects to be considered unimportant. The method used is Class Action Research, Kemmis and McTaggart model A cycle-shaped procedure that will take place through two cycles, each cycle consisting of four stages: planning, execution, observation and reflection. The data collection technique used is a test in the form of questionnaires and non-tests in the form of observation of student activities. The study was conducted in class X IIS Sma Negeri 7 Bulukumba from June to December 2021. Research aims to improve the learning outcomes of ICT guidance. The results of the study is implementing OPOS learning media on ICT guidance increased, the average grade of first cycle student learning outcomes by 53.49 percent to 70.30 percent in second cycle. OPOS learning media also increased learning activity, in fist cycle student activity 65.33 percentincreased to 73.33 percent second cycle.

Quality and readability of online information on plantar fasciitis and calcaneal spur.

Plantar fasciitis and calcaneal spur are common causes of heel pain in the community. People use the Internet to obtain medical information about diseases. We reviewed Internet information sources on plantar fasciitis and calcaneal spur for quality and readability. The first 50 websites for each search term ("calcaneal spur", "heel spur", and "plantar fasciitis") were scanned on www.google.com . Six different valid tools were used for information quality and readability assessment. We searched for HONCode (Health On the Net Foundation Code) stamps on included websites. The total mean points for DISCERN were 50.52 ± 14.62, and the total mean points for JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association) were 2.42 ± 1.26. In total, 25.72% of 97 websites had HONCode stamps. The average scores for the readability indicators were calculated to be Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL): 7.27 ± 1.71, Gunning Fog: 8.46 ± 2.17, Simple Measure of Gobbledygook (SMOG): 6.89 ± 1.24, and Coleman Liau Index: 15.56 ± 1.85. In our study, when the website resources were examined, there were profit websites the most and website quality and readability were moderate level. A significant proportion of the websites have a financial bias and provide low-quality information. A mechanism for monitoring the quality and readability of online information must be established and managed systematically.

Do Explanations Increase the Effectiveness of AI-Crowd Generated Fake News Warnings?

Social media platforms are increasingly deploying complex interventions to help users detect false news. Labeling false news using techniques that combine crowd-sourcing with artificial intelligence (AI) offers a promising way to inform users about potentially low-quality information without censoring content, but also can be hard for users to understand. In this study, we examine how users respond in their sharing intentions to information they are provided about a hypothetical human-AI hybrid system. We ask i) if these warnings increase discernment in social media sharing intentions and ii) if explaining how the labeling system works can boost the effectiveness of the warnings. To do so, we conduct a study (N=1473 Americans) in which participants indicated their likelihood of sharing content. Participants were randomly assigned to a control, a treatment where false content was labeled, or a treatment where the warning labels came with an explanation of how they were generated. We find clear evidence that both treatments increase sharing discernment, and directional evidence that explanations increase the warnings' effectiveness. Interestingly, we do not find that the explanations increase self-reported trust in the warning labels, although we do find some evidence that participants found the warnings with the explanations to be more informative. Together, these results have important implications for designing and deploying transparent misinformation warning labels, and AI-mediated systems more broadly.

The evolution and determinants of corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosure in a developing country: extent and quality

PurposeThis paper examines the evolution and determinants of the extent and quality of corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosure in a developing country (Mauritius).Design/methodology/approachCSR disclosures from annual reports of all listed companies were hand-collected for a 12-year period (2007–2018). The extent of disclosure was measured using a dichotomous index (41 items) while the quality of each disclosure item was assessed on a three-point scale. We rely on organisational legitimacy and resource dependence theories to investigate (1) trends in CSR disclosure extent and quality (2) the role of selected board and firm characteristics, namely the business qualifications of board members, extent of cross-directorships and the firm’s use of employee volunteering scheme, on CSR disclosure.FindingsCSR disclosure extent, notably in relation to environment and human resources, gradually increased to an overall score of 45%. Comparatively, the quality of disclosures was low, with an average score of 20%. The proportion of business-qualified directors is only positively associated with CSR disclosure extent. The extent of cross-directorships is negatively associated with CSR disclosure quality while employee volunteering is positively associated with disclosure extent and quality.Originality/valueThe findings reveal the relatively low quality of information being disclosed, and in spite of CSR and governance reforms, there seems to be limited influence from the board of directors and their networks; prompting a call to foster greater board engagement on CSR matters. The results also highlight the need for a multi-dimensional assessment of CSR disclosure.

YouTube and the Achilles Tendon: An Analysis of Internet Information Reliability and Content Quality.

Purpose: To evaluate the educational content, quality, and reliability of YouTube videos regarding the Achilles tendon and Achilles tendon injuries.Methods: The first 50 videos found on YouTube after searching “Achilles tendon” were evaluated and classified by content type and uploader source. Reliability and accuracy were assessed using the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) benchmark criteria, nonspecific educational content was assessed via the Global Quality Score (GQS), and specific educational content was assessed using the Achilles Tendon Specific Score (ATSS). ANOVA was performed to determine differences in video reliability and educational content quality by video content type and source. Multivariate stepwise regressions were used to evaluate the effects of specific video characteristics on JAMA benchmark criteria, GQS, and ATSS.Results: The 50 videos evaluated had a cumulative view total of 53,323,307, a mean of 1,066,466, and a range of 1,009 to 42,663,665 views per video. Most videos focused on disease-specific information (38%) and exercise training (22%). Most videos were uploaded by non-physicians (34%) or medical sources (health websites) (32%). A higher view ratio was an independent predictor of lower JAMA scores (lower reliability and accuracy) (standardized beta = −0.281, P = 0.048) and increased video duration was an independent predictor of greater GQS (standardized beta = 0.380, P = 0.007) and ATSS scores (standardized beta = 0.364, P = 0.009) (increased quality of nonspecific and specific educational content).Conclusion: Videos on YouTube regarding the Achilles tendon were viewed numerous times, but their educational content and reliability were poor. Providers treating patients for Achilles tendon-related pathologies should initiate a dialogue with patients about their use of internet sources and should educate them on their optimal usage. They should warn them of the low quality of YouTube-derived information and provide them with reliable sources that may better give them control over their own care.

The effect of institutional investors’ site visits: evidence on corporate cash holdings

ABSTRACT This study examines the impact of institutional investors’ site visits (SVs) on corporate cash holdings by using a unique dataset of SVs in China during the period of 2012–2019. We find that SVs significantly increase the level of cash holdings, and the result remains robust after addressing endogeneity concerns and selection bias. The positive impact of SVs on cash holding is more pronounced if a firm has a lower information quality, confirming that SVs facilitate information distribution between managers and investors and thus allowing more cash holding. Further analyses show that firms rely greatly on equity issues and internal cash flows for cash savings, and SVs increase the value of cash for shareholders. Collectively, our findings suggest a new effect of institutional investors’ site visits.

Abstract P218: Analysis Of YouTube Videos As A Patient-Education Tool For Cardiac Stress Testing

Background: YouTube is the most popular video sharing platform, and it is a common source of information for people interested in learning about medical topics. YouTube videos discussing cardiac stress testing have amassed millions of views, but their educational quality has not been thoroughly assessed. We sought to investigate the quality of cardiac stress testing videos on YouTube. Methods: We searched YouTube.com for keywords including “Cardiac Stress Test” and “Exercise Stress Test”. We evaluated 113 videos with at least 15,000 views and excluded 51 videos. The exclusion criteria comprised videos that were unrelated, under 1 minute, not in English, or repeats of a video. The remaining videos were rated by two independent reviewers using the Global Quality Scale (GQS; 4-5 = high quality, 1-3 = low quality), to evaluate usefulness. The view count, modality, upload source and date were used for additional sub-analyses to determine possible associations with the educational quality of videos. Modalities that were analyzed included patient-friendly delivery methods such as patients speaking about their experiences or interviews with patients on their experiences, live patient tests where the patient undergoes cardiac stress testing to educate viewers, or physician-led presentations. Results: The average GQS score was 5 in 4 out of 62 videos (4/62; 6.5%), 4 in 14 videos (14/62; 22.5%), and 0-3 in 44 videos (44/62; 71%) with a mean overall GQS score of 3.04 demonstrating moderate-suboptimal educational quality of videos. Days since upload and view ratio were not associated with educational quality of the videos. Physician-uploaded videos (37/62; 60%) had significantly higher GQS scores compared with non-physicians (3.43 vs. 2.46; p<0.01). When grouped by modality, live patient tests (23/62; 37%) had the highest GQS score of 3.33 while physician-led presentations (28/62; 45%) produced GQS score of 3.13. Patient-friendly delivery methods (interviews and patient stories) (11/62; 18%) had the lowest average GQS score of 2.23. Conclusion: There is an abundance of content about cardiac stress testing on YouTube videos that often deliver low quality information. Healthcare providers need to be cognizant about possible misinformation their patients may encounter. YouTube can be a useful resource for physicians and patients in the future as shared decision-making aids if higher quality videos are uploaded directly by physicians.

Developing a Green Bonds Market: Lessons from China

Since its launch in 2016, China’s green bonds market has amassed a significant size and is currently ranked as the second largest in the world. This paper takes a pioneering step to analyze how a transitional economy can develop a burgeoning green bonds market within a short period, using China as a case study. It concludes that the Chinese government plays an instrumental but also evolving role in this process. The carefully designed use of government mechanisms in the context of unique government structures can constructively facilitate the growth of a green bonds market. At the emerging stage of this unique market, the government can play an active role in designing a conducive regulatory environment through law and policy, providing the necessary financial infrastructure and appropriate incentives for investors and green bond issuers. Government intervention is warranted at this stage, given the special characteristics of the green market, in particular, the desired positive externalities on environmental protection and climate change. In China, such a regime is implemented with a focus on inter-ministerial, central-local and international collaboration, centralized policy-making, and alignment of green goals with performance assessment of local officials. However, as the green bonds market matures, this paper suggests a transition towards a market-oriented model where the government should assume a limited role, providing funding and monitoring, and letting market forces play a greater role in achieving market efficiency. Unleashing the potential of market forces can mitigate several of the challenges faced by a top–down approach. This paper also examines the challenges that have surfaced in China, including low-quality information disclosure and under-utilization of green bonds financing by private enterprises. In response, several solutions are proposed to address these specific challenges.

Women’s health claims in modern magazines: information accuracy and the role of experts

ABSTRACT This paper aimed to examine the quality of obstetric and gynecological advice provided to women in a sample of women’s magazines, and determine whether the inclusion of expert sources affected the quality of advice. A retrospective content analysis of popular Canadian magazines from January 2019 to 2020 was conducted. An adaptation of the Media Doctor Australia rating tool was used to assess the quality of reporting. Criteria included source, evidence base, benefits presented meaningfully, potential harms mentioned, no evidence of fear-based rhetoric, availability, and cost. Seventy-seven claims were rated, exhibiting a wide variation in quality, evidence base, and inclusion of expert sources. Approximately 55 of 77 health claims cited a medical professional source. A majority of health claims (71%, 54/77) were supported by robust evidence or generally in line with recommendations. The quality of the claims was low and varied widely across magazines. There was no significant association between expert sources and health claim quality. The prevalence of expert sources does not impact the quality of each article, though may increase the reader’s confidence in the claim. The overall prevalence of low quality or incomplete information found in this study suggests that women may not be receiving adequate health information from magazine content.

How Reliable and Popular are Trabeculectomy Videos on Youtube?

Evaluating the quality, dependability, and popularity of YouTube videos about trabeculectomy. A simulated user search for trabeculectomy videos on YouTube was conducted using the keywords "trabeculectomy, trabeculectomy surgery for glaucoma, and trabeculectomy surgery." Hundred out of the one hundred and fifty videos met the criteria and were analyzed. To assess quality and reliability, each video was evaluated by two independent reviewers using the DISCERN (scale, 1-5), Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA; scale, 0-4), and Global Quality (GQ; scale, 1-5) criteria. The popularity of the videos was evaluated by Video Power Index (VPI). Videos were further classified into three groups based on the source of their upload. Of the 100 analyzed videos, 50 were uploaded to the system by doctors, 40 by health institutions and 10 by patients. Fifty-seven percent are videos with surgical content. The mean DISCERN score was 44.84 ± 8.14 the mean JAMA score was 2.08 ± 0.67, and the mean Global Quality score was 2.02 ± 0.72. Although some videos provided adequate information, the majority of the videos were rated as fair. While the DISCERN, JAMA, GQS scores were statistically higher in videos uploaded by doctors than in videos uploaded by patients (P < 0.01), VPI was higher in videos uploaded by patients (P = 0.003). Nonsurgical videos had the highest rate of likes and comments (P < 0.05). No substantial difference in scoring was observed between the 2 independent reviewers (P < 0.05). Videos with high popularity had low information quality and reliability. This situation presupposes video sharing in a more understandable language for patients.

Contextual and multifactorial influence on perception of safety from crime among selected Malaysians

Despite official crime figures showing a continuous decline in the rate of crime, the perception of the high level of crime by many Malaysians suggests other factors are affecting their perception of safety from crime. The objective of this study is to identify and understand these factors through a qualitative study that employs online focus group discussions. This study argues that the perception of safety from crime is the result of interactions of a number of factors such as the experience of victimisation, crime information, neighbourhood conditions as well as the perception of law enforcement and government crime reduction policy. The sense of safety from crime is also contextual as it may fluctuate according to time, place, activities and situations. Analysis of the data from the focus group discussions found that participants generally have a high perception of safety from crime. However, participants felt less safe when they were in public places and when interacting with online services. In most circumstances, participants' sense of safety is affected by the pressure to be vigilant and to avoid criminal victimisation. This pressure is exacerbated by low-quality information on crime that is often received through social media. Crime information on social media has a significant impact on participants’ perceptions of crime. The overall analysis of the findings suggests that the most important factor which affects the perception of safety from crime among these selected Malaysians is their sense of safety in their homes and their neighbourhood. Hence, efforts to increase the sense of safety among Malaysians should focus on this context.

Can Media Pluralism Be Harmful to News Quality?

I study the effect of polarization and competition on information provision. With a single expert who faces decision-makers with het- erogeneous priors, the expert solves a trade-off between persuading sceptics and retaining believers. With high polarization, an expert has incentives to supply low-quality information to leverage believers' credulity. With multiple experts with opposite biases, competition is harmful if attention is limited. Unbiased and Bayesian decision-makers rationally devote attention to like-minded experts. Echo chambers arise endogenously, whereas decision-makers would be better informed in monopoly. My model can rationalize the spread and persistence of conspiracy theories and fake news.

Noise Data Removal and Image Restoration Based on Partial Differential Equation in Sports Image Recognition Technology

With the rapid development of image processing technology, the application range of image recognition technology is becoming more and more extensive. Processing, analyzing, and repairing graphics and images through computer and big data technology are the main methods to obtain image data and repair image data in complex environment. Facing the low quality of image information in the process of sports, this paper proposes to remove the noise data and repair the image based on the partial differential equation system in image recognition technology. Firstly, image recognition technology is used to track and obtain the image information in the process of sports, and the fourth-order partial differential equation is used to optimize and process the image. Finally, aiming at the problem of low image quality and blur in the transmission process, denoising is carried out, and image restoration is studied by using the adaptive diffusion function in partial differential equation. The results show that the research content of this paper greatly improves the problems of blurred image and poor quality in the process of sports and realizes the function of automatically tracking the target of sports image. In the image restoration link, it can achieve the standard repair effect and reduce the repair time. The research content of this paper is effective and applicable to image processing and restoration.

Is Social Media Spreading Misinformation on Exercise and Health in Brazil?

Instagram (IG) reaches millions of people, sharing personal content and all kinds of information, including those related to exercise and health. However, the scientific quality of the posted information is questionable. Thus, this study aimed to analyze whether exercise and health information posted by popular Brazilian IG influencers has technical-scientific accuracy. A personal IG account was created to identify Brazilian IG profiles. The inclusion criteria of the accounts were: (1) having 50% of all the shared posts related to topics about exercise and health, such as nutrition, health and wellness, medicine, or physical fitness; and (2) having over 100,000 followers. Qualitative analysis revealed a low quality percentage (38.79 ± 25.43%) for all analyzed posts. Out of all the posts, only 13 (~2.7%) cited a reference endorsing the information. Moreover, the higher quality-ratio score of the posts was not directly associated with the higher educational qualification of the influencers (r = 0.313; p = 0.076). Nevertheless, the number of followers was inversely correlated with the educational qualification of the influencers (r = −0.450; p = 0.009), but not with the quality-ratio score of the posts (r = −0.178 p = 0.322). We conclude that prominent Brazilian IG influencers disseminate low-quality information about exercise and health, contributing to the wide-spreading of misinformation to millions of followers.

8.F. Round table: European experiences on infodemic management

Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic has affected our lives in many ways, including the way we consume, produce and react to information. Underlining that the world is facing a rapid amplification and circulation of accurate but also low quality and false information, the UN Secretary-General and the Director-General of the World Health Organization both declared that we are currently fighting an infodemic in the same way as we are fighting a pandemic. An infodemic is an overload of information-some accurate, some not-that spreads alongside an epidemic in the digital and physical space. The infodemic makes it difficult for people to find reliable, timely and high quality information and enact health behaviours to protect themselves and their communities. Due to the complex nature of the information ecosystem our societies and communities live in, an infodemic cannot be prevented, but it can be managed to reduce harm to individual, community and population health, support social cohesion and trust in emergency response and interventions. Infodemic management, analogous to epidemic management, is an evidence-based practice in detecting, characterising, responding and managing the infodemic and its harmful effects. During the COVID-19 crisis, public health authorities have been challenged in the way they communicate with the public, engage with communities in infodemic response, providing the scientific evidence, the day-to-day facts and figures. However, public health messages and content are unable to compete with engaging, emotive and evocative content, often of low quality or even false, shared on social media, closed messaging apps. Although often public authorities have not received a specific training on infodemic, and oftentimes expertise needed is scattered across the health and government sector, for many infodemic management has become an integral part of their job and a challenge to address. Within PHIRI, the Population Health Information Research Infrastructure, best available evidence for research on health and well-being of populations as impacted by COVID-19 is generated and facilitated. It supports exchange of expertise across Europe in the area of infodemic management as well. This workshop aims to share the experiences with infodemic management during the pandemic. It will be organised as a round table, starting by setting the scene with an introduction to key infodemic concepts. Then experiences from different perspectives (public health authorities, patients, digital and health literacy) will be shared through a panel discussion. Speakers will present on how they have experienced the challenge of the infodemic and how they approached its management during the crisis with practical examples. Participants will have the opportunity to interact with the panellists and to ask questions. Key take home messages from the panellist and a selection of tools participants can use in their own infodemic management activities will be provided as a conclusion. Speakers/Panelists Tina Purnat European Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Solna, Sweden Neville Calleja Department of Health Information and Research, G'Mangia, Malta Anna-Leena Lohiniva Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland Kaisa Immonen European Patients' Forum, Brussels, Belgium Orkan Okan Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany Key messages Evidence-based metrics and interventions are needed to respond to the infodemic and reduce harm from misinformation. Whole of society approach is also needed to manage the infodemic. Experience sharing is essential in this nascent practice. Partnership is needed across the health system and society. We can also be our own infodemic managers and promote information hygiene.