Anti-science disinformation about COVID-19 spread on Twitter in Hispanic America

Abstract

This paper aims to understand the formal characteristics, the spaces of dissemination and the anti-science narratives related to COVID-19 and their engagement in Ibero-America. This type of disinformation has hardly been specifically investigated in this context; the research has been more focused on the study of fake news about this crisis from more general perspectives. A total of 238 fake contents were analyzed in two phases: a study of all verified fake contents spread in 2020 in this region and an analysis of the most propagated tweets included in the hashtag #plandemia. Quantitative results were analyzed with descriptive and inferential statistical procedures using chi-square, Kruskal-Wallis, U-Mann-Whitney tests, correlational studies, and linear regression. This research advances some of the patterns of scientific disinformation, which may be useful for future health crises: the high prevalence of fabricated content, the relevance of visual elements (although they are not predictors of engagement in this type of narrative), and the growing importance of instant messaging services as propagation spaces. It also discusses the remarkable role of fact-checkers against disinformation. These entities are proving to be effective in dismantling the denialist and conspiracy narratives circulating about the disease and to achieve a more effective communication of science.