Is Facebook Killing People? Inoculated Newsletter #4
Is Facebook Killing People?
This past week was all about President Biden's Biden saying platforms like Facebook were ‘killing people’ by posting COVID-19 misinformation.
The Guardian, citing an older study, said that vast majority of Covid-19 anti-vaccine misinformation and conspiracy theories originated from just 12 people. The Guardian's @juliacarriew reminds us that Facebook actively promoted g anti-vaxxer groups to people searching for vaccine information in 2019.
Twitter this week suspended Marjorie Taylor Greene's account for 12 hours.
More this week:
Anti-vaxx ‘mobs’: doctors face harassment campaigns on Facebook
Medical experts who counter misinformation are weathering coordinated attacks. Now some are fighting back
Julia Carrie Wong
Covid: The Mexican villages refusing to vaccinate
Residents in remote Mexican towns are being influenced by lies and rumours swirling around on WhatsApp.
The Italian disinformation networks flying under Facebook’s radar - Coda Story
A network of websites and Facebook pages sharing articles containing anti-vaccine disinformation and conspiracy theories about the pandemic highlights the online spread of misleading narratives about Covid-19 in Italy
Mary Steffenhagen
Who is the ‘pizza king’? The secret language being used by anti-vaccine groups to skirt detection
Some anti-vaccination groups on Facebook are changing their names to euphemisms like “Dance Party” or “Dinner Party,” and using code words to fit those themes.
Ben Collins
Pseudoscience and COVID-19 — we’ve had enough already
The scientific community must take up cudgels in the battle against bunk.
Timothy Caulfield
There’s a new tactic for exposing you to radical content online: the ‘slow red-pill’ | Joshua Citarella
The far right is trying to funnel people on Instagram to extreme content with a few simple tricks. Here’s how they do it
Joshua Citarella
The Real Problem with Facebook Virality
Why objective journalism loses against partisan content
Luke Johnson
- The Washington Post
Bonus Long Read:
What Makes a Cult a Cult?
The line between delusion and what the rest of us believe may be blurrier than we think.
The Anti-Vaccine Influencers Who Are Merely Asking Questions
Institutional experts haven’t adapted to today’s media ecosystem. Other commentators are filling the gap.
Renée DiResta
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