Ridiculing the “tinfoil hats”: Citizen responses to COVID-19 misinformation in the Danish facemask debate on Twitter

Nicklas Johansen, Sara Vera Marjanovic, Cathrine Valentin Kjaer, Rebekah Brita Baglini, Rebecca Adler-Nissen

Publikation: Bidrag til tidsskriftTidsskriftartikelForskningpeer review

3 Citationer (Scopus)
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Abstract

We study how citizens engage with misinformation on Twitter in Denmark during the COVID-19 pandemic. We find that misinformation regarding facemasks is not corrected through counterarguments or fact-checking. Instead, many tweets rejecting misinformation use humor to mock
misinformation spreaders, whom they pejoratively label wearers of “tinfoil hats.” Tweets rejecting misinformation project a superior social position and leave the concerns of misinformation spreaders unaddressed. Our study highlights the role of status in people’s engagement with online misinformation.
OriginalsprogEngelsk
TidsskriftHarvard Kennedy School Misinformation Review
Vol/bind3
Udgave nummer2
Antal sider23
DOI
StatusUdgivet - 2 mar. 2022

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