Table 1 Extracted themes and sub-themes regarding COVID-19 related misinformation on social media
From: Designing a conceptual framework for misinformation on social media: a qualitative study on COVID-19
| Themes | Sub-themes |
|---|---|
| Incentives/reasons for misinformation producing |
Cultural causes Demand pressure/need and demand for information in pandemic crisis The easiness of information dissemination via online networks Financial or marketing incentives Lack of legal supervision Lack of knowledge/ the weak an inadequate knowledge level of content producers Lack of knowledge in users/ lack of ability to assure the validity and credibility of the information Excitement and entertainment Corruption/ damage or destruction Wording errors Tendency to attract and increase the audience by rumor spread |
| Process of misinformation dissemination | Target audiences: All population groups |
| Main channel: Social media | |
|
Main subjective categories of misinformation: The statistics of the disease (incidence, prevalence, mortality rate, inpatient rate, recovery rate, predicting the future trends) The new treatments, vaccines and pharmaceuticals Preventive methods and personal and group protection tools Dietary recommendations and diets The ways of disease transformation Consumption of daily supplements Symptoms, clinical signs, prognosis, the cycle of the disease and Commune Period and the disease side effects New diagnosis methods Risk factors of the disease The nature of the Corona virus (e.g. The virus structure, its living context, the periodic and seasonal behavior of the virus) International and national documents and guidelines, governmental decisions for comforting and controlling the disease, fake instructions, public activities and resource allocation for disease control Fake religious or traditional narratives about the disease and its mechanism The health care system`s capabilities for confronting the disease Fake experiences of patients or healthcare providers Recommendation for consuming unconfirmed herbal treatments Designing and producing unstandardized medical equipment the same as masks, gloves, etc. at home Misinformation about the cities quarantine and traffic regulations | |
| Negative consequences of misinformation dissemination |
Psychosocial Health status Health system Economic Ethical |
| Coping strategies |
Supply side strategies Demand side strategies |