Because we’re living through an “Infodemic”

Colin Bernatzky, UCI PhD candidate in sociology, Sion Avakian, UCI computer science undergraduate and Stephen C. Rea, PhD, write, “COVID-19 is just one of many recent crises that disinformation campaigners and other digital extremists have taken advantage of to sow chaos, destabilize the news media ecosystem, and mobilize individuals and groups to their causes. … Although neither misinformation nor our cognitive biases are new phenomena, their convergence during a time of high connectivity has concerning—and destructive—effects.”