MANAGEMENT AND COMMERCE Pandemics and infodemics: the importance of providing trustworthy information Dr Charity Hove and Professor Liezel Cilliers uring the pandemic, social to inflict harm on another person, media users created and organisation or country. Dconsumed information about As we all know too well, during Covid-19 at a phenomenal pace. the pandemic, information about As they did this, they effectively prevention, cures, symptoms, the contributed to an ‘infodemic’, an origins of the virus and emergency overload of both accurate and measures put in place by governments inaccurate information conveyed was disseminated widely. Sadly, much digitally as well as through more of what was circulated was not true. traditional means of communication. Studies examining the sharing of According to Dr Charity Hove, information offer the potential of a postdoctoral researcher, and insights which can be used to better Professor Liezel Cilliers of the manage infodemics in the future. Department of Information Systems, This challenge of developing such an infodemic can result in an increase knowledge was eagerly taken up by in the number of people who distrust Fort Hare researchers, Dr Hove and the public health system, making Professor Cilliers. it difficult to manage a pandemic effectively. The aim of the study was to Dr Charity Hove The Covid-19 pandemic resulted in investigate how social listening tools, an overflow of health information an example of which is the World on social media, as many millions Health Organisation’s (WHO’s) Early of people across the world created, AI-supported Response with Social uploaded and shared content. listening tool (EARS), could contribute to the management of information Unfortunately, user-generated content is not verified before being about health during an infodemic. shared with others. This has the During pandemics, information ages potential to allow for disinformation, very quickly, so real-time, current, misinformation and malinformation. up to date information is important. Disinformation is where a user The EARS tool summarises real-time distributes information known to information and online Covid-19 be false. In contrast, misinformation conversations, making data available is information that is false, but to researchers for analysis. the person who is disseminating In South Africa, the National State of it believes that it is true. Lastly, Disaster introduced to try to manage malinformation is information that the pandemic finally came to an end is based on reality but which is used 49 | University of Fort Hare