Swine flu & Twitter's power to misinform
20:08, 27 April 2009
.. Posted in Communication, Outreach and General Mngmt.. Link
I'm oh-so-interested in how rumors and myth derail humanitarian efforts -- or affect our understanding of various events, both current and historical. I also love debunking conspiracy theories and urban folklore, because... well, I hate conspiracy theories.
And that means I've been watching all the continuing breathless reporting about Twitter with great interest, particularly since the press largely ignores all of the rampant rumors that Twitter helps propagate. It happened during and immediately after the Mumbai siege, and it's happening again with swine flu, with one blogger noting, "having millions of people wrap up all their fears into 140 characters and blurt them out in the public might have some dangerous consequences, networked panic being one of them." This same blogger also reprimands organizations like WHO for not establishing "ownership of most online conversations from the very beginning, posting updates as often as they can."
Too many users aren't looking at the information they receive via Twitter and other online communications networks with a critical eye, and therefore too many people aren't separating the speculation, misinformation and gossip from credible sources like the Center for Disease Control.
Also, news outlets need to remember that misinformation is bad, and can be even worse, than no information at all. As with any communications tool, when it comes to instant networking tools like blogs, micro-blogging, and cell phones, believe with caution.
