According to WHO, “An infodemic is too much information including false or misleading information in digital and physical environments during a disease outbreak.” In a disease outbreak, the influx of both genuine and misleading information could confuse the public and may lead to unwanted, unscientific, and wrong actions. This could lead to counterproductive results, negatively impact the battle against the disease, and endanger public health. Therefore, infodemic management is a vital part of the battle against a disease outbreak. Infodemic management aims to mitigate the threat of misleading information during a disease outbreak using scientific methods.
Given the increasing penetration of the Internet in more and more countries and regions, the digital space is replacing traditional media as the central arena for the spread of information. The easy accessibility and speed of digital communications is helping to facilitate the growing dominance of the digital space and making it a critical component of managing the present-day infodemic. This does not mean the Internet has equally spread to every country alike. Still, there are countries and regions where radio remains the predominant source of information. Nonetheless, in the case of more than half of the global nations, internet and digital facilities are fast emerging.
The Covid-19 outbreak has showcased the significance of infodemic management and the disastrous impact of using digital space for spreading misinformation. As a result of the infodemic following the Covid-19 outbreak, hundreds of people lost lives, major countries faced resistance against Covid vaccination drives, and governments worldwide faced obstacles in their battle against the virus. To effectively resist the infodemic, governments and international agencies should step up their presence in the digital space, ensure the collaboration and cooperation of tech firms, and use traditional and digital media more effectively to spread genuine information.
