A quantitative content analysis of topical characteristics of the online COVID-19 infodemic in the United States and Japan.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic has spurred the growth of a global infodemic. In order to combat the COVID-19 infodemic, it is necessary to understand what kinds of misinformation are spreading. Furthermore, various local factors influence how the infodemic manifests in different countries. Therefore, understanding how and why infodemics differ between countries is a matter of interest for public health. This study aims to elucidate and compare the types of COVID-19 misinformation produced from the infodemic in the US and Japan.

Methods

COVID-19 fact-checking articles were obtained from the two largest publishers of fact-checking articles in each language. 1,743 US articles and 148 Japanese articles in their respective languages were gathered, with articles published betwee

SUBMITTER: Seah M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11382445 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature