A geospatial infodemic: Mapping Twitter conspiracy theories of COVID-19

Abstract

Conspiracy theories have proliferated during the COVID-19 pandemic to provide an explanation for uncontrollable circumstances. Most conspiratorial explanations often ascribe disease to foreigners or as a result of deliberate actions. Through mapping retweets that attribute COVID-19 to a bioweapon or a lab in China, I examine the geography behind a metonymic conspiracy theory.