Ofcom have been doing weekly surveys since the beginning of lockdown and recently switched to a monthly survey, finding out how respondents access the news and what they have perceived to be misinformation on the coronavirus. This survey highlights that social media seems to be at the centre of misinformation and people aged 25-34 are more likely to come across misinformation (36%) compare to older age groups of 65+ who are less likely to use social media (21% of 65+ come across misinformation). Although there has been a decrease from 99% from week one coming across misinformation to 84% in week twenty-five.

The types of misinformation have changed as different conspiracy theories came to light but the most common source of misinformation was regarding face masks either offering no protection or even being harmful if worn. Others included the number of deaths being lower in reality to what has been reported in the news, as well as the potential dangers of a vaccine.  

Not all misinformation was reported as being true, but at the same time, some of the misinformation may have been missed as it was classed as ‘true’ by the respondent and they didn’t realise it was actually false. There are also the half-truths, where there is enough truth mixed up with false claims to make the story believable. Respondents could specify whether the misinformation was shown to be true, false or unknown, and they could fill in multiple for each piece of misinformation as they may have come across it multiple times from different sources. For those that read about potential dangerous vaccines 23% said they were being reported as false, 46% said the claims were being reported as true and 48% were unclear.  

So what do you think? Is it ok to share and create untrue stories about Coronavirus without checking your sources? 82% of people agree that “untrue stories about the coronavirus should not be posted or shared on social media” however, 21% agreed that “people and organisations have a right to say what they want on social media about the coronavirus, even if it might not be true”. This touches on free speech and how do you draw a line between false claims and someone simply telling a joke and making light of a situation. Is it right for social media companies to be the moral police and decide what is right and wrong, false and true, and do they have the resources to do so and what is their agenda? How much time should we take to check our sources before posting claims, or sharing someone else’s post? Do you think about the implications of each post and how they will impact others?