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A former TV host of an Irish fashion program, Xposé, has been taking to Instagram, vocally speaking against covid vaccines to nearly 20,000 followers.Here are some important takeaways.
Vaccine hesitancy is a spectrum and people can have legitimate concerns with regards to public health.
But with that comes misinformation on one side of that spectrum - and that can have real impacts.
But with that comes misinformation on one side of that spectrum - and that can have real impacts.
Influencers with significant followings DO matter when it comes to the spread of misinformation. We've seen plenty of examples of this over the past year.
Take a look at this report by the Oxford Research Institute from April 2020: https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/types-sources-and-claims-covid-19-misinformation
Take a look at this report by the Oxford Research Institute from April 2020: https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/types-sources-and-claims-covid-19-misinformation
According to this research, although prominent figures only made up 1/5th of their sampling, the misinformation accounted for nearly 70% of the engagement.
This is known as top-down misinfo. Unsurprisingly, those with significant followings have the ability to amplify misinfo.
This is known as top-down misinfo. Unsurprisingly, those with significant followings have the ability to amplify misinfo.
So, going into just some of the content she has published. We've seen much of this misinformation previously - and it shows how although falsehoods are debunked, they can continuously be reshared.
Starting with masks ...
Starting with masks ...
No, wearing a mask doesn't cause you to breathe in your own CO2. She claims that masks cause you to "breathe in your own waste air" all day.
This was debunked last year. CO2 particles are small - meaning they can move through the mask. https://uihc.org/health-topics/do-face-masks-make-you-retain-carbon-dioxide
This was debunked last year. CO2 particles are small - meaning they can move through the mask. https://uihc.org/health-topics/do-face-masks-make-you-retain-carbon-dioxide
This is a great piece by @DrShepherd2013 who wrote about the intersection between myths about masks and climate denialism. Really great context. https://www.forbes.com/sites/marshallshepherd/2020/07/01/debunking-2-myths-toxic-coronavirus-masks-and-breathing-warms-the-climate/?sh=2da285d630f4
There have also been references to the Great Reset conspiracy theory.
I've written about this before. View here. https://twitter.com/Seana_Davis/status/1332253223315529729
I've written about this before. View here. https://twitter.com/Seana_Davis/status/1332253223315529729
She's been publishing DMs to sent to her, some supportive, some not-so, and plenty containing falsehoods.
The great folks at the BBC disinformation team have debunked 7 enduring myths - many of those repeated in the comments being shared. https://www.bbc.com/news/55949640
The great folks at the BBC disinformation team have debunked 7 enduring myths - many of those repeated in the comments being shared. https://www.bbc.com/news/55949640
