How Cognitive Bias Fuels Coronavirus Fake News
Learn the Behavioral Science Behind Poor Judgement
America has a severe “infodemic” on its hands: The coronavirus pandemic has led to, arguably, one of the worst proliferations of fake news in history.
There are countless examples that range from the more dubious (created as a bioweapon) to the highly misleading (coronavirus is under control), the medically dangerous (miracle cures, ingestion of disinfectants), the outlandish (5G conspiracy theories), the irresponsible (there are no PPE shortages) and much, much more.
The impact has been as wide ranging as the misinformation. Panic and hysteria. Unnecessary individual exposure and bogus treatments. Monumental burden on healthcare providers. Prison riots and armed protests. Xenophobia, racism and hate crimes. Increases in depression, stress and stress. Strain on relationships.
As United Nations Director Paul Berger explained, “When disinformation is repeated and amplified, including by influential people, the grave danger is that information which is based on truth, ends up having only marginal impact.”
In a valiant (but potentially too-little-too-late) attempt to combat misinformation, the World Health Organization added a mythbusters page to its website and has released sharable…
