Spreading (dis)trust in Fiji? Exploring COVID-19 misinformation on Facebook forums

Romitesh Kant; Rufino Varea

doi:10.24135/pjr.v27i1and2.1166

Romitesh Kant La Trobe Univeristy https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9242-2128
Rufino Varea The University of the South Pacific https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1583-2451

DOI: https://doi.org/10.24135/pjr.v27i1and2.1166

Keywords: case studies, COVID-19, Facebook, fake news, Fiji, internet, misinformation, Pacific studies, social media

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused significant challenges for the health system across the globe and fueled the surge of numerous rumours, hoaxes, and misinformation regarding outcomes, prevention and cure of the virus. The COVID-19 pandemic has also had severe political, economic and societal effects and affected media and communication systems in unprecedented ways. While traditional journalism has tried to adapt to the rapidly evolving situation, alternative news media on the internet have given the events an ideological spin. These voices have been criticised for furthering societal confusion and spreading potentially dangerous ‘fake news’ or conspiracy theories via social media and other online channels. The impact of the disease and the lack of information associated with it have allowed medical misinformation to rapidly surface and propagate on various social media platforms. Previous studies have highlighted a similar trend during recent public health emergencies, mainly the Ebola and Zika outbreaks. Such a phenomenon is alarming on both individual and public health levels to the extent that governments are realising the gravity and attempting to limit its effects. This article offers a unique perspective because it provides data-driven qualitative insights into Fijian Facebook posts related to infectious disease outbreaks. This study aims to understand public views and opinions on Fijian social media during the height of the pandemic in 2020 and to outline potential implications for health information.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Metrics

Metrics Loading ...

Author Biographies

Romitesh Kant, La Trobe Univeristy

Romitesh Kant is an Honorary Research Associate with the Institute for Human Security and Social Change at La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia.

Rufino Varea, The University of the South Pacific

Rufino is a PhD student in Marine Science at the University of the South Pacific

References

ABC News. (2020, March 17). Australia accused of ignoring Pacific neighbours in face of COVID-19 outbreak. Retrieved August 4, 2020, from ABC News: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-03-17/coronavirus-australia-in-the-pacific-amid-the-covid-19-outbreak/12060108

Abroms, L., Westmaas, J. L., & J. Bontemps-Jones, R. R. (2013). A content analysis of popular smartphone apps for smoking cessation. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 45(6), 732-736. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2013.07.008 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2013.07.008

Adams, T. (2020, April 26). 5G, coronavirus and contagious superstition. The Guardian. Retrieved on August 22, 2020, from https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/26/5g-coronavirus-and-contagious-superstition

Ahmed, W., Vidal-Alaball, J., Downing, J., & Seguí, F. L. (2020). COVID-19 and the 5G conspiracy theory: Social network analysis of twitter data. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 22(5), e19458. https://doi.org/10.2196/19458 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2196/19458

Allington, D., Duffy, B., Wessely, S., Dhavan, N., & Rubin, J. (2020). Health-Protective behaviour, social media usage and conspiracy belief during during the COVID-19 public health emergency. Psychological Medicine. 51(10), 1763-1769. https://doi.org/10.1017/S003329172000224X DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S003329172000224X

Australian Department of Health. (2020, January 25). First confirmed case of novel coronavirus in Australia. Retrieved on August 18, 2020, from https://www.health.gov.au/ministers/the-hon-greg-hunt-mp/media/first-confirmed-case-of-novel-coronavirus-in-australia

Boila, S. (2020, March 23). Church urges members not to spread misinformation. FBC News. Retrieved on January 30, 2021, from https://www.fbcnews.com.fj/news/covid-19/church-urges-members-not-to-spread-misinformation/

Bora, L., Das, D., Barman, B., & Borah, P. (2018). Are internet videos useful sources of information during global public health emergencies? A case study of YouTube videos during the 2015–16 Zika virus pandemic. Pathogens and Global Health, 112(6), 320–328. https://doi.org/10.1080/20477724.2018.1507784 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/20477724.2018.1507784

Brimacombe, T., Kant, R., Finau, G., Tarai, J., & Titifanue, J. (2018). A new frontier in digital activism: An exploration of digital feminism in Fiji. Asia and the Pacific Policy Studies 5, 508-521. https://doi.org/10.1002/app5.253 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/app5.253

Broniatowski, D. A., Jamison, A. M., Qi, S., AlKulaib, L., Chen, T., Benton, A., Dredze, M. (2018). Weaponized health communication: Twitter bots and Russian trolls amplify the vaccine debate. American Journal of Public Health, 108, 1378-1384. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2018.304567 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2018.304567

Bruns, A., Harrington, S., & Hurcombe, E. (2020). ‘Corona? 5G? or both?’: the dynamics of COVID-19/5G conspiracy theories on Facebook. Media International Australia, 117(1), p. 12-29. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1177/1329878X20946113 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1329878X20946113

Buchanan, R., & Beckett, R. D. (2014). Assessment of vaccination-related information for consumers available on Facebook. Health Information and Libraries Journal, 31(3), 227–234. https://doi.org/10.1111/hir.12073 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/hir.12073

Cave, D. (2012). Digital islands: How the Pacific’s ICT revolution is transforming the region. Lowy Institute. Retrieved on April 23, 2021, from https://www.lowyinstitute.org/publications/digital-islands-how-pacific-ict-revolution-transforming-region

Chaslot, G. (2017). How YouTube’s AI boosts alternative facts: YouTube’s recommendation A.I. is designed to maximize the time users spend online. Fiction often outperforms reality. Medium.com. Retrieved on August 12, 2020, from https://medium.com/@ guillaumechaslot/how-youtubes-a-i-boosts-alternative-facts-3cc276f47cf7

Chew, C., & Eysenbach, G. (2010). Pandemics in the age of twitter: content analysis of tweets during the 2009 H1N1 outbreak. PLoS One, 5(11), e14118. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0014118 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0014118

Datta, S., O’Connor, P., Jankovic, D., Muscat, M., Mamou, M. B., Singh, S., & Butler, R. (2018). Progress and challenges in measles and rubella elimination in the WHO European Region. Vaccine, 36(36), 5408-5415. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2017.06.042

Douglas, K., Uscinski, J., Sutton, R., Cichocka, A., Nefes, T., Ang, C. S., & Deravi, F. (2019). Understanding Conspiracy Theories. Political Psychology, 40, 3-35. https://doi.org/10.1111/pops.12568 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/pops.12568

Fiji Ministry of Health and Medical Services (2020, March 25). Statement by the Prime Minister Hon. Voreqe Bainimarama on Fifth COVID-19 case in Fiji. Retrieved March 30, 2021, from https://www.health.gov.fj/statement-by-the-prime-minister-hon-voreqe-bainimarama-on-fifth-covid-19-case-in-fiji/

Fiji Ministry of Health and Medical Services (2021, July 19). COVID-19 update 29- 03-2021. Retrieved August 20, 2021, from https://www.health.gov.fj/19-07-2021/

Fiji Sun Online (2020a, March 26). 3 To appear in court for positing false information on social media. Retrieved from https://fijisun.com.fj/2020/03/26/3-to-appear-in-court-for-positing-false-information-on-social-media/

Fiji Sun (2020b, April 15). Bird deaths caused by blunt trauma. Retrieved on August 3, 2020, from https://fijisun.com.fj/2020/04/15/bird-deaths-caused-by-blunt-trauma/#:~:text=The%20Ministry%20of%20Agriculture%20in,19%20and%20the%205G%20Network.&text=Causes%20of%20death%20appearing%20to%20be%20blunt%20trauma.

Fiji Sun (2020, April 9). Ministry of Agriculture probes dead birds mystery in Naweni. Retrieved on August 4, 2020, from https://fijisun.com.fj/2020/04/09/minstry-of-agriculture-probes-dead-birds-mystery-in-naweni/

Fiji Times. (2020, April 15). Post-mortem exam results reveal why mynah birds died in Savusavu. Retrieved on August 3, 2020, from https://www.fijitimes.com/post-mortem-exam-results-reveal-why-mynah-birds-died-in-savusavu/

Fiji Women’s Rights Movement. (2020, March 30). Stop victim-blaming of COVID-19 patients. NGOCHR and Rainbow Pride Foundation. Retrieved on August 3, 2020, from http://www.fwrm.org.fj/news/media-releases/67-all-category/news/press-releases/571-ngochr-and-rainbow-pride-foundation-stop-victim-blaming-covid-19-patients

Finau, G., Prasad, A., Kant, R., Tarai, J., Logan, S., & Cox, J. (2014). Social media and

e-democracy in Fiji, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. 20th Americas Conference on Information Systems. Association for Information Systems.

Finau, G., Cox, J., Tarai, J., Kant, R., Varea, R., & Titifanue, J. (2018). Social media and disaster communication: A case study of Cyclone Winston. Pacific Journalism Review : Te Koakoa, 24(1), 123-137. https://doi.org/10.24135/pjr.v24i1.400 DOI: https://doi.org/10.24135/pjr.v24i1.400

Franz, D., Marsh, H. E., Chen, J. I., & Teo, A. R. (2019). Using Facebook for qualitative research: A brief primer. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 21(8), e13544. https://doi.org/10.2196/13544 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2196/13544

Free, C., Phillips, G., Galli, L., Watson, L., Felix, L., Edwards, P., & Haines, A. (2013). The effectiveness of mobile-health technology-based health behaviour change or disease management interventions for health care consumers: a systematic review. PLOS Medicine, 10(1), e1001362. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001362. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001362

Glaser, B., & Strauss, A. (1967). The discovery of grounded theory: Strategies for qualitative research. Chicago, IL: Aldine. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1097/00006199-196807000-00014

Hamilton, I. A. (2020, April 6). Here’s what we know about the bizarre coronavirus 5G conspiracy theory that is leading people to set mobile phone masts on fire. Business I nsider. Retrieved on August 22, 2020, from https://www.businessinsider.com.au/coronavirus-conspiracy-5g-masts-fire-2020-4?r=US&IR=T

He, Z., Cai, Z., & Wang, X. (2015). Modeling propagation dynamics and developing optimized countermeasures for rumor spreading in online social networks. 2015 IEEE 35th International Conference on Distributed Computing Systems. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/ICDCS.2015.29

Hooper, Val. 2020. Misinformation in the 2019 Samoan measles epidemic: The role of the influencer. Proceedings of the Seventh European Conference on Social Media (pp. 112-118). UCLan, Larnaka, Cyprus.

Jolley, D., & Paterson, L. (2020). Pylons ablaze: Examining the role of 5G COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs and support for violence. British Journal of Social Psychology, 59, 628-640. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjso.12394 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/bjso.12394

Kant, R., Jorari, L., & Cain, T. N. (2021). COVID-19 awareness, online discussion and vaccine distribution in Melanesia: Evidence and analysis from Fiji, Papua New Guinea, and Vanuatu. San Francisco, CA: The Asia Foundation.

Kemp, S. (2021, February 11). Digital 2021: Fiji. Data portal. Retrieved on February 26, 2021, from https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2021-fiji

Kouzy, R., Jaoude, J. A., Kraitem, A., Alam, M. B., Karam, B., Adib, E., Baddou, K. (2020). Coronavirus goes viral: Quantifying the COVID-19 misinformation Epidemic on Twitter. Cureus, 12(3), e7255. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.7255 DOI: https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.7255

Kumar, A. (2020, August 17). SODELPA MP Lynda Tabuya acquitted. Fiji Sun Online. Retrieved from https://fijisun.com.fj/2020/08/17/sodelpa-mp-lynda-tabuya-acquitted/

Lazer, D., Baum, M., Benkler, Y., Berinsky, A., Greenhill, K., Menczer, F., & Zittrain, J. (2018). The science of fake news. Science, 359(6380), 1094-1096. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aao2998 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aao2998

Li, H. O.-Y., Bailey, A., Huynh, D., & Chan, J. (2020). Youtube as a source of information on COVID-19: A pandemic of misinformation? BMJ Global Health, 5(e002604). https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2020-002604 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2020-002604

Logan, S. (2012). Rausim!: Digital politics in Papua New Guinea. SSGM Discussion Paper, The Australian National University, 2012(9).

Meese, J., Frith, J., & Wilken, R. (2020, August). COVID-19, 5G conspiracies and infrastructural futures. Media International Australia, 177(1), 30-46. https://doi.org/10.1177/1329878X20952165 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1329878X20952165

Ministry of Health and Medical Services. (2021, March 29). COVID-19 Update 29-03-2021. Retrieved March 30, 2021, from http://www.health.gov.fj/covid-19-update-29-03-2021/

Nanuqa, J. (2020, July 27). Bulanauca says evil groups to blame for COVID-19. FBC News. Retrieved on January 30, 2021, from https://www.fbcnews.com.fj/news/parliament/bulanauca-says-evil-groups-to-blame-for-covid-19/

Ortiz-Martínez, Y., & Jiménez-Arcia, L. (2017). Yellow fever outbreaks and Twitter: Rumours and misinformation. American Journal of Infection Control, 45, 815–816. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajic.2017.02.027 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajic.2017.02.027

Rabonu, I. (2020, March 11). Testing for coronavirus to be done locally at the new Fiji Centre For Disease Control. Fiji Sun. Retrieved on August 3, 2020, from https://fijisun.com.fj/2020/03/11/testing-for-coronavirus-to-be-done-locally-at-the-new-fiji-centre-for-disease-control/

Radio New Zealand. (2020a, May 29). Fiji COVID-19 patient charged with breaching quarantine orders. Retrieved from https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/417864/fiji-covid-19-patient-charged-with-breaching-quarantine-orders

Radio New Zealand. (2020b, July 31). China slams Fiji opposition’s COVID-19 claims. Retrieved on January 29, 2021, from https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/422486/china-slams-fiji-opposition-s-covid-19-claims

Reuters. (2020, April 29). False claim: Pictures link bird deaths to new 5G mast in the Netherlands. Reuters. Retrieved on August 4, 2020, from https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-factcheck-starlings-netherlands/false-claim-pictures-link-bird-deaths-to-new-5g-mast-in-the-netherlands-idUSKCN22A3D9

Ritterband, L., & Tate, D. (2009). The science of internet interventions. Introduction. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 38(1), 1-3. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12160-009-9132-5

Salathé, M., & Khandelwal, S. (2011). Assessing vaccination sentiments with online social media: implications for infectious disease dynamics and control. PLOS Computational Biology, 7(10), e1002199. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1002199 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1002199

Scanfeld, D., Scanfeld, V., & Larson, E. (2010). Dissemination of health information through social networks: twitter and antibiotics. American Journal of Infection Control, 38(3), 182-188. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajic.2009.11.004 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajic.2009.11.004

Schreiber, R. S., & Stern, P. N. (2001). The ‘how to’ of grounded theory: Avoiding the pitfalls. In R. S. Schreiber, & P. N. Stern (Eds.), Using grounded theory in nursing (pp. 55-84). New York, NY: Springer.

Serrano, E., Iglesias, C., & Garijo, M. (2015). A novel agent-based rumor spreading model in twitter. Proceedings of the 24th International Conference on World Wide Web. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1145/2740908.2742466

Sorkin, A. D. (2020, April 24). The dangerous coronavirus conspiracy theories targeting 5G technology, Bill Gates, and a world of fear. The New Yorker. Retrieved on August 22, 2020, from https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/the-dangerous-coronavirus-conspiracy-theories-targeting-5g-technology-bill-gates-and-a-world-of-fear

Seyoum, M. (2019, July 15) Social media fuels the anti-vaxx movement. Now what? YR Media. Retrieved on April 2, 2020, from https://yr.media/tech/social-media-fuels-the-anti-vaxx-movement-now-what .

Singh, I. (2020, February 20). Stop the misinformation about COVID 19 says Minister. Fiji Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved on August 3, 2020, from https://www.fbcnews.com.fj/news/parliament/stop-the-misinformation-about-covid19-says-minister/

Spyksma, H. (2017). Unintentional journalists: The role of advocacy group 350 in filling a news gap for reporting from the Pacific region. Journalism Studies, 20(1), 1-21. https://doi.org/10.1080/1461670X.2017.1351885 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/1461670X.2017.1351885

Steinhubl, S., Muse, E., & Topol, E. (2015). The emerging field of mobile health. Science Translational Medicine, 7(283), 283rv3. https://doi.org/10.1126/scitranslmed.aaa3487 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/scitranslmed.aaa3487

Susu, A. (2020, March 21). COVID-19: Ministry worried about vilification. Fiji Times. Retrieved from https://www.fijitimes.com/covid-19-ministry-worried-about-vilification/

Tadulala, K. (2020, March 28). Tabuya charged, Bainivalu remains in custody. FBC News. Retrieved from https://www.fbcnews.com.fj/news/tabuya-charged-bainivalu-remains-in-custody/

Talei, F. (2020, June 13). Woman, 47, limited from posting on social media. Fiji Sun Online. Retrieved from https://fijisun.com.fj/2020/06/13/woman-47-limited-from-posting-on-social-media/

Tarai, J., Finau, G., Kant, R., & Titifanue, J. (2015). Political social media campaigning in Fiji’s 2014 elections. The Journal of Pacific Studies, 35(2), 89-114.

Titifanue, J., Kant, R., & Finau, G. (2020). A crucible for bottom-up regionalism? The digital renaissance: West Papuan media suppression and social media in the Pacific. Pacific Journalism Review : Te Koakoa, 26(1), 140-147. https://doi.org/10.24135/pjr.v26i1.1079 DOI: https://doi.org/10.24135/pjr.v26i1.1079

Titifanue, J., Tarai, J., Kant, R., & Finau, G. (2015). From social networking to activism: The role of social media in the free West Papua campaign. Pacific Studies, 39(3), 255– 281.

Wakamiya, S., Kawai, Y., & Aramaki, E. (2016, October). After the boom no one tweets: Microblog-based influenza detection incorporating indirect information. EDB '16: Proceedings of the Sixth International Conference on Emerging Databases: Technologies, Applications, and Theory (pp. 17-25). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1145/3007818.3007822

Wang, Y., McKee, M., Torbica, A., & Stuckler, D. (2019). Systematic literature review on the spread of health-related misinformation on social media. Social Science & Medicine, 240, 112552. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2019.112552 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2019.112552

Wardle, C. (2017, February 16). Fake news. It’s complicated. First Draft. Retrieved August 12, 2020, from https://firstdraftnews.org/latest/fake-news-complicated/

Wardle, C., & Derakhshan, H. (2017). Information disorder: Toward an interdisciplinary framework for research and policy making. Strasbourg, France: Council of Europe.

Wilson, C. (2020, May 11). Why are Australians chanting ‘arrest Bill Gates’ at protests? This wild Facebook group has the answers. Buzzfeed. Retrieved from August 22, 2020, from https://www.buzzfeed.com/cameronwilson/lockdown-protest-australia-bill-gates-conspiracy-theories

World Economic Forum. (2013). Global Risks 2013. Retrieved on August 22, 2020, from http://wef.ch/GJKqei

World Health Organisation. (2020, June 11). Defending the Pacific: Engaging communities to prepare for COVID-19. Retrieved on August 24, 2020, from https://www.who.int/fiji/news/feature-stories/detail/defending-the-pacific#:~:text=American%20Samoa%2C%20Cook%20Islands%2C%20Kiribati,Futuna%20are%20still%20virus%2Dfree

Zarocostas, J. (2020, February 29). How to fight an infodemic. The Lancelet, 395(10225), 676. https://doi.org/10.1 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30461-X