Building Trust while Influencing Online COVID-19 Content in the Social Media World

Because of COVID-19’s strict physical distancing measures, people are heavily reliant on maintaining connectivity using global digital social networks, such as Facebook or Twitter, to facilitate human interaction and information sharing about the virus.

In this article, the authors discuss some ways in which social media has undermined effective responses to COVID-19. They consider how various groups could respond to these challenges—especially government leaders, social media companies, and healthcare providers. Ultimately, these actors each have roles to play in preventing social media from being weaponised to sow distrust and further endanger public health, while also ensuring that social media can fulfill its essential civic function of facilitating good faith political expression and discourse.

Last modified: July 21, 2020

Language: English