Narrow Results

The widespread transmission of misinformation regarding the COVID-19 pandemic on social media has become a severe concern for various reasons such as containing the spread of the virus, taking preventive measures, and so on. According to the recent studies, misinformation and conspiracy theories spread on social media have hampered efforts to limit the infection, which has been exacerbated in some instances by politicians and celebrities. Misunderstandings about COVID-19 and wearing a mask sparked much debate. As time went on, a sizable portion of the population continued to refuse to wear masks, owing to extrinsic considerations, such as politics, ideology, personal views, and health concerns. In this study, we look at the concerns surrounding three Twitter hashtags (#masks, #maskup, and #maskoff) in order to understand better how social noise can lead to unintended misinformation. Sentiment analysis, topic modelling, and contextual analysis were used to compare and contrast two datasets relevant to these hashtags, one gathered in 2020 and the other in 2021. According to sentiment analysis, people’s emotions differed between hashtags, and the majority of tweets were based on social media users’ personal opinions. Topic modelling results revealed the prevalence of social noise leading to the unintended spread of misinformation on Twitter. The content analysis results show that while the #maskoff hashtag is used to resist masking influenced by factors, such as misinformation, conspiracy theories, and ideology, the #masks and #maskup hashtags were generally positive and used more to raise awareness of the benefits of wearing masks.

Global warming refers to the long-term heating of the earth, including melting of the glaciers and the expected rise in seawater level that could threaten a large number of areas and communities around the world. Social media has a big influence on people’s perception and understanding of environmental issues and challenges. In this study, we examine the impact of misinformation and social noise on people’s perception of global warming during critical environmental events. The study used data analytic techniques such as sentiment analysis and topic modelling to assess the level of objectivity and subjectivity in the discussion about global warming and examine the presence of certain topics that fit the definition of social noise and misinformation. Data collection was limited to the hashtag “global warming” captured during the months there was a spike in global warming tweets during the period from 2012-2022. The results from the sentiment analysis have shown a 62.46% subjectivity score compared to 37.54% objectivity score, indicating that most of the tweets posted were based on users’ personal opinion and perception of global warming. Topic modelling showed a prevalence of social noise in the tweets indicating the presence of social noise and thus aids in understanding the factors that lead to misinformation creation. The presence of social noise questions the credibility of the tweets and its contents.

In the digital era, social media platforms have become the focal point for public discourse, with a significant impact on shaping societal narratives. However, they are also rife with mis- and disinformation, which can rapidly disseminate and influence public opinion. This paper investigates the propagation of mis- and disinformation on X, a social media platform formerly known as Twitter. We employ a multidimensional analytical approach, integrating sentiment analysis, wavelet analysis, and network analysis to discern the patterns and intensity of misleading information waves. Sentiment analysis elucidates the emotional tone and subjective context within which information is framed. Wavelet analysis reveals the temporal dynamics and persistence of disinformation trends over time. Network analysis maps the intricate web of information flow, identifying key nodes and vectors of virality. The results offer a granular understanding of how false narratives are constructed and sustained within the digital ecosystem. This study contributes to the broader field of digital media literacy by highlighting the urgent need for robust analytical tools to navigate and neutralize the infodemic in the age of social media.

Current human-induced climate change arises primarily from the heating of the planet mainly from changes in atmospheric composition, and temperature change is one manifestation. The increasing greenhouse gases, notably carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels, lead to Earth’s Energy Imbalance (EEI), altering the flow of energy through the climate system, and the dissemination of excess energy is partly what determines how climate change is manifested. Some of the extremes being experienced, especially those involving drought, convection, storms, flooding, and the water cycle, are mostly driven by aspects of heating and, while temperature contributes through the water-holding capacity of the atmosphere, it is more a consequence than a cause. Afterall, water is the air conditioner of the planet. The United Nations, and especially the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in their Summary for Policy Makers, focus on global temperature targets rather than broader facets of climate change including EEI, and do not always adequately discriminate between temperature and heating. This also has consequences for future climate if or when heating is brought under control by cutting emissions. Improvements are needed in expressing how the climate is changing by properly accounting for the flow of energy through the climate system.

Skeptical Science (SkS) is a website and non-profit science education organization with international reach founded by John Cook in 2007. The main purpose of SkS is to debunk misconceptions and misinformation about human-caused climate change and features a database that currently has more than 200 rebuttals based on peer-reviewed literature. SkS has evolved from a one-person operation to a team project with volunteers from around the globe. The Skeptical Science team also actively contribute to published research, with one of the highlights being the often cited 97% consensus paper published in 2013.

When our team at https://SkepticalScience.com published a study on the scientific consensus on human-caused global warming (Cook et al., 2013), what surprised us was how surprised everyone was. We weren’t the first, nor the second, nor the third study to find overwhelming expert agreement on the fact that humans were causing global warming. But it was like people were hearing it for the first time…

Because of the threat of fake news, numerous efforts or activities have been initiated in terms of algorithm, fact-checking, platform scheme, and policy changes. However, the volume of fake contents distributed on social media has not decreased. Regardless of many discourses on the subject, we know little about what makes people susceptible to believing false news in an online context. This study examines the impact of central and peripheral cues to determine how each cue impacts on user’s belief or disbelief in false news on social media from the perspective of the elaboration likelihood model. Besides, the moderating effect of information literacy on the cues is investigated. Results indicate that users’ identification of the falsehood of messages is related with argument quality, however, topical relevance contributes to their susceptibility to believing in false news (BFN). Regarding the peripheral cues, source trustworthiness tends to make users vulnerable to BFN, nevertheless, no influence is found by image appeal and homophily. Information literacy has neither direct effect on BFN, nor moderating effect on any cues.

“Fake news”, or disinformation, is a contemporary phenomenon whose potential to impact on societal and political institutions have been widely documented by scholars. How have governments in Southeast Asia responded to the threat posed by disinformation? To address this, this chapter employs securitisation theory to evaluate political responses in Singapore and Malaysia towards disinformation. It has two key focuses: first, what empirical insight can securitisation theory provide towards explaining the heightened political salience of disinformation in both countries? Second, how have political actors in Singapore and Malaysia securitised disinformation, and what are the subsequent socio-political implications? The securitisation of a political issue gives credence to the urgent need for emergency measures and the mobilisation of resources to resolve a purported existential threat. While disinformation has been evidenced to be a societal problem, this chapter advances that the securitisation of disinformation by the Singapore and Malaysian governments can be construed foremost as politically expedient decisions within the unique socio-political contexts of each country. Specifically, it argues that state actors have sought to instrumentalise disinformation to justify the passing of wide-reaching legislation. In both cases, the passing of these laws has allowed the governments to consolidate political power, increase regulatory oversight and censor criticisms against the state. More broadly, this chapter highlights how authoritarian states have increasingly sought to respond to the global challenge of disinformation by adopting securitisation as a transregional response. The findings problematise the notion of securitisation as an optimal societal response to disinformation, and emphasises the need to guard against consequential encroachments upon media freedom and civil liberties arising from such political responses.