School of Information Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Physics (STEMP), Suva, Fiji.
Int J Surg. 2021 Aug;92:106012. doi: 10.1016/j.ijsu.2021.106012. Epub 2021 Jul 3.
The spread of misinformation, facilitated by social media and other digital platforms, has proven to be as destructive to global public health as the SARS-CoV-2 virus itself. Fake news adds challenges to human communication efforts, producing tension, misunderstanding, and disbelief. While social platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Viber, etc. have provided a huge relief during the lockdown helping reduce mental stress and depression as well as facilitating online education, and work from home during the COVID-19 pandemic, it has also raised concerns over the spread of fake news. In such a situation, online fake news poses a new threat to public health communication as more people now depend on the internet to get health-related information. In response, this study seeks to understand how manipulation of news on social media has posed a threat to Fijian public health. Eventually, some of these have resulted in police investigations.
假新闻的传播，如同 SARS-CoV-2 病毒本身一样，对全球公共卫生造成了极大的破坏。社交媒体和其他数字平台的传播，使得假新闻的传播给人类交流带来了更多挑战，导致了紧张、误解和不信任。在封锁期间，Facebook、Twitter、Instagram 和 Viber 等社交平台为人们提供了极大的帮助，减轻了人们的精神压力和抑郁，同时也为在线教育和在家办公提供了便利，但这也引发了人们对假新闻传播的担忧。在这种情况下，由于更多的人现在依靠互联网获取与健康相关的信息，网络假新闻对公共卫生传播构成了新的威胁。有鉴于此，本研究旨在了解社交媒体上的新闻操纵如何对斐济公共卫生构成威胁。最终，其中一些已经导致警方展开调查。
