MANAGEMENT AND COMMERCE became aware of a fifth wave and the link to the government’s information discovery of the Omicron XE variant site on the virus. Many social media in the United Kingdom. This single platforms such as Facebook also observation emerging from the study regulated the sharing of links in order stresses the need for the ongoing to try to control the spread of false monitoring of social media for mis- information. If we are to limit the and disinformation. alarm caused by false information, The study allowed the researchers to the reinforcement of regulations is make a number of recommendations, critical. one of which is that South Africa False information can be harmful should develop its own social media in so many ways. In the context of listening tool. A tool that can analyse a pandemic, amongst other things communications in all local languages it can result in people failing to take Professor Liezel Cilliers would allow for better tracking of precautions against contracting a information of all sorts and for disease, in the use of remedies that management of false information. A are actually harmful, and in a great second recommendation relates to deal of anxiety and worry on the part on 4 April 2022. The study conducted the need for trustworthy sources to of all citizens. Once again, Fort Hare by Dr Hove and Professor Cilliers be more visible and more accessible researchers have shown how the analysed trends on EARS in South to users. In 2020, a regulation was skills and expert knowledge of its staff Africa using content analysis over a introduced stating that all internet can contribute to the public good in month-long period after this date. sites with a .zaDNA top level domain South Africa and beyond. Immediately apparent was the fact needed to have a landing page with a that the volume of conversations increased by 1.1% after the end of the National State of Disaster was announced. One possible reason for this increase in volume could have been that people began to ask whether they were less likely to contract the virus two years after the start of the pandemic and, if so, whether the symptoms associated with it would be less serious. Needless to say, some argued that this had always been the case. Interestingly, the study also showed that the proportion rate of stigma associated with the virus decreased by only 0.1% following the announcement of the end of the State of Disaster. Misinformation and disinformation increased during the study period possibly as users Research Report 2021/2022 | 50