Oddly humorous COVID-19 rumors: Gaining perspective on the fight against the infodemic
Authors: Tung-Duong Mai, Sun Geng, Christopher B. Mokone, Richard Moore, Karandeep Singh, Sung Jun Park, Meeyoung Cha (Institute for Basic Science & KAIST, both in South Korea)
In early April, multiple 5G cell towers in the UK were set ablaze due to conspiracies claiming that they could spread a new virus. Dozens more arson attacks occurred in the following months. But what kind of vulnerability could cyber security specialists have found to warrant arsonists burning down telecommunication towers? Absurdly, the rumored 5G-transmissible virus was claimed not to be a software virus, but a biological virus, i.e. the novel coronavirus! This is only one of many fascinating rumors which have emerged all over the world during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Get ready to scratch your head in bewilderment or chuckle at the oddities of pandemic rumors.
Rumors in the pandemic
We want to protect ourselves and our loved ones, that’s normal. During the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a lot of rumors claiming to be legit, all claiming to have unique information on the mysterious virus, and ill willed 5G towers isn’t the most bizarre. Many of these rumors are unconfirmed at best or are flat out false claims, resulting in the age of the “infodemic”. Some rumors are recurring across the globe despite language and cultural barriers, which others are specific to a particular region. These rumors cover various topics about the pandemic, ranging from the origin of the virus, transmission medium, prevention methods, and miracle cures for the disease.
As we are data scientists, we have encountered many interesting COVID-19 rumors with significant variations, cultural rhetoric, and geographical dispersion. While some were serious, others were so ridiculous that we couldn’t help but laugh.
Humor in the pandemic
Don’t get us wrong, we don’t want to laugh about a tragedy, and this virus is a global tragedy. In additional to affecting physical health, the disease has caused widespread emotional stress making it hard to maintain our mental well-being. In this difficult time, laughter is a form of medicine to relieve anxiety and keep people in good spirits. Sometimes laughing about something absurd inadvertently provides an insightful perspective on our own reality.
Many times, rumors have a strong cultural background. While the emergence of rumors in other cultures might sound odd, local rumors are somehow very reasonable and straightforward for that community. Seeing a variety of rumors from different countries might make people realize how silly some of the rumors can be.
How humorous can COVID-19 rumors be?
Here are 14 of the oddly funny rumors that we found. How many of these would you believe?
How governments are tackling the infodemic
These conspiracies have prompted many different reactions from governments all over the world. Some adopt a serious policy towards the rumors, including hefty fines, detention, or even criminal charges. For example, Egypt authorities might sentence rumor peddlers up to 5 years in prison and fine them up to $1,200. Interesting fact: There are more instances of people spreading COVID-19 rumors in Vietnam than actual confirmed cases of the disease (by March 15 at least 654 people were summoned by the police for COVID-19 misinformation, while the national COVID-19 cases stayed at 57).
Many countries focus on correcting misinformation. Singapore is one of the leading countries with this strategy by actively sending clarifications and legally requiring the websites to show these ‘correction notices’.
Others proactively provide facts to prevent rumors, including asking for cooperation from major tech companies. Many utilize these platforms to provide information to the general public, such as WhatsApp in the UK or Zalo in Vietnam. A number of big name tech companies are also taking action to cope with this infodemic.
Before you go…
With this article, we hope people get a new perspective on misinformation. Take a minute to think about some of the rumors from outside your culture and compare it with what you’ve heard within your circle of friends. We hope the examples we showed brought a smile to your face as we all need a stress release. Before you simply retweet something, take a minute to think about it as your efforts might contribute to ending the infodemic by proactively preventing misinformation.
