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If you think you're up to date with the latest news and COVID-19 information because you spend most of your time on social media, guess again.
A new study from McGill University in Montreal indicates Canadians who rely on social media as opposed to traditional news sites are more likely to be misinformed.
The study by McGill University researchers also indicates those misconceptions change the way people behave amid the pandemic drastically.
According to CTV News the study illustrates those getting their information from social media are less likely to follow public health guidelines while the opposite is true for those who rely on verified news outlets.
“We thus draw a clear link from misinformation circulating on social media, notably Twitter, to end behaviours and attitudes that potentially magnify the scale and lethality of COVID-19,” the study reads.
Study author, Aengus Bridgman, notes spreading misinformation isn't new but in the context of a pandemic, he notes the "consequences are catastrophic."
“I do think social media has accelerated it and makes people – particularly those who are not as media-savvy or as literate in online spaces – very vulnerable to misinformation in a way that they’ve never been before,” Bridgman said.
The study authors looked at data collected from a set of 620,000 Canadian Twitter users and 19 prominent news sites, for a total of 2.25 million tweets and 8,857 news articles.
Some of the areas the group looked into included
debunked claims that COVID-19 is no more dangerous than the flu; that Vitamin C or similar supplements can prevent catching the virus; that the virus spread to humans because someone ate a bat; and that it's a conspiracy.
“In traditional media – not entirely – but most of the discussion around (COVID-19) was saying ‘this claim has been circulated, but is incorrect,’” Bridgman said. “You’re still talking about that piece of misinformation, but the rebuttal is side-by-side. And that wasn’t the case on social media.”
-with files from CTV News
