Book section : Chapter
Infodemic
- Abstract:
- In 2020, the term ‘infodemic’ rose from relative obscurity to popular metaphor and was used by journalists, academics, and policymakers during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic to describe the perils of fast, wide-spreading false information about the COVID-19 pandemic and as a shorthand to refer to mis- and disinformation more broadly. This entry offers a definition of the term and traces the origin and use of the ‘infodemic’ metaphor since its coinage in 2002, with a special focus on its use during the SARS outbreak 2002-2004 and the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. We provide an overview of the most important literature published on the topic, a critique of the term, and a discussion on the salience and problematic uses of the same.
- Publication status:
- Published
- Peer review status:
- Peer reviewed
Actions
Access Document
- Files:
-
-
(Preview, Accepted manuscript, pdf, 127.2KB, Terms of use)
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- Publisher copy:
- 10.4337/9781035301447.vol2.00053
Authors
- Publisher:
- Edward Elgar Publishing
- Host title:
- Elgar Encyclopaedia of Political Communication
- Volume:
- 2
- Pages:
- 211-214
- Series:
- Elgar Encyclopedias in the Social Sciences series
- Place of publication:
- Cheltenham, UK
- Publication date:
- 2025-12-28
- Edition:
- 1
- DOI:
- EISBN:
- 9781035301447
- ISBN:
- 9781035301430
- Language:
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English
- Keywords:
- Subtype:
-
Chapter
- Pubs id:
-
2025422
- Local pid:
-
pubs:2025422
- Deposit date:
-
2024-09-04
- ARK identifier:
Terms of use
- Copyright holder:
- Simon and Camargo
- Copyright date:
- 2025
- Rights statement:
- © The Editors and Contributors Severally 2025.
- Notes:
- This is the accepted manuscript version of the article. The final version is available online from Edward Elgar Publishing at https://dx.doi.org/10.4337/9781035301447.vol2.00053
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