In this information age, the Internet provides an effective channel for the dissemination of health-related information, facilitating individual efforts in obtaining and sharing health information. However, some health-related information can be ‘misstated, misquoted, or exaggerated’ (Pearson, 2003, p.4), which may generate the spreading of rumors. Rumor refers to information that is unverified and lacks clear evidence (Allport & Postman, 1965). When Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) first started in 2019 in China, rumors about the coronavirus spread quickly on the Internet, especially on social media platforms, and captured the attention of Internet users. Based on the empirical evidence collected by Sommariva et al. (2018) who examined Zika virus, rumors are more likely to be shared among Internet users compared to verified sources.
The prevalence of rumors is likely to cause ‘infodemic’, further posing challenges for public health authorities to adapt effective risk management strategies (World Health Organization, 2020).
Previous studies examining epidemic-related rumors chose western social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook as their research point (e.g. Wood, 2018), with few studies dedicated to examining the characteristics of rumors appearing on Chinese Internet-based platforms. In addition, rumors in extant literature were mostly examined from its transmission perspective, which failed to consider what are the characteristics of these rumors. To address the research gaps, this study aims to draw on the rumor data retrieved from Chinese Internet-based platforms and leverage content analysis as the analytical approach to explore the characteristics and patterns of COVID-19-related rumors.
Dingxiang Yisheng (‘丁香医生’; English, ‘Doctor Clove’) is a popular Chinese medical website that has been frequently used by Chinese Internet users. This website was established by Chinese healthcare professionals, with the purpose of disseminating health-related information to patients. During the outbreak of COVID-19, Dingxiangyisheng website has been acting as a tool of rumor detection and correction.
This study will examine rumors listed on Dingxiangyisheng website and explore what are the characteristics of these rumors. Rumor data will be first retrieved from this website, and then content analysis will be applied to analyze themes and key words, which help define the characteristics of COVID-19-related rumors. This study intends to provide insights into the features of rumors spread during the COVID-119 outbreak period, and to inform public health authorities in how to implement relevant policies on dispelling health-related rumors, which lead to individuals’ positive health outcomes.
Reference
Allport, G. W., & Postman, L. J. (1965). The psychology of rumor. New York, NY: Russell & Russell.
Pearson, L. J. (2003). Learn the truth about medical rumors. The Nurse Practitioner, 28(10), 4.
Sommariva, S., Vamos, C., Mantzarlis, A., Đào, L. U. L., & Martinez Tyson, D. (2018). Spreading (fake) news: exploring health messages on social media and the implications for health professionals using a case study. American journal of health education, 49(4), 246-255.
Wood, M. J. (2018). Propagating and debunking conspiracy theories on Twitter during the 2015–2016 Zika virus. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 21(8), 485-490.
WHO (2020, February 4). Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV): Situation Report-13. World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/situation-reports.pdf