JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

The information epidemic emerged along with the COVID-19 pandemic. While controlling the spread of COVID-19, the secondary harm of epidemic rumors to social order cannot be ignored.

Objective:

The purpose of this study is to understand the characteristics of rumor dissemination before and after the pandemic and the corresponding rumor management and debunking mechanisms. This study aims to provide theoretical basis and effective methods for relevant departments to establish a sound mechanism for managing network rumors related to public health emergencies such as COVID-19.

Methods:

This study collected a dataset of COVID-19 rumors before and after the pandemic outbreak, focusing on large-scale network rumors. The study analyzed the content, dissemination, and debunking of rumors, and subdivided them into seven categories: involved subjects, dissemination content, emotional expression, dissemination channels, dissemination forms, debunking subjects, and sources of verification. The data was analyzed using SPSS software.

Results:

The study found that the majority of rumor information was directed at a clear target audience. The main themes of rumor dissemination were related to the public's immediate interests in the COVID-19 field, with significant differences in emotional expression and mostly negative emotions. Rumors mostly spread through social media interactions, community dissemination, and circle dissemination, with text content as the main form, lacking factual evidence. The preferences of debunking subjects showed differences, and the frequent occurrence of rumors reflected the unsmooth channels of debunking. The chi-square test of data before and after the pandemic showed that the P-value was less than 0.05, indicating that the difference in rumor content before and after the pandemic had statistical significance.

Conclusions:

As a public health emergency of international concern, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused great harm to social order. The information environment is highly uncertain, and the characteristics of rumor dissemination will change accordingly at different stages. Therefore, it is urgent to establish a sound mechanism for managing network rumors and provide reference for rumor management related to public health emergencies.