The novel coronavirus roiling financial markets and prompting travel bans is taking on a life of its own on the Internet, once again putting US-based social media companies on the defensive about their efforts to curb the spread of false or dangerous information.
Researchers and journalists have documented a growing number of cases of misinformation about the virus, ranging from racist explanations for the disease’s origin to false claims about miracle cures. Conspiracy theorists, trolls and cynics hoping to use the panic to boost traffic to their own accounts have all contributed to the cloud of bad information.
“It’s the perfect intersection of fear, racism and distrust of the government and Big Pharma,” said Maarten Schenk, co-founder of the fact-checking site Lead Stories. “People don’t trust the official narrative.”
Photo: AFP
照片：法新社
The novel coronavirus, which originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan, so far has killed at least 900 people and infected over 40,000, with cases in more than 20 countries.
One set of tweets and Facebook posts from US conspiracy theory accounts said drinking bleach could protect against the virus or even cure it.
“Rumors can travel more quickly and more widely than they could” in an era before social media, said Thomas Rid, a professor of strategic studies at Johns Hopkins University, who has a forthcoming book on the history of disinformation. “That of course lends itself to conspiracies spreading more quickly. They spread more widely and they are more persistent in the sense that you can’t undo them.”
Photo: AFP
照片：法新社
Some of the Internet traffic and misinformation has been outright racist against Chinese people and Asians in general. Posts attributing the coronavirus to Chinese culinary practices have blown up, and a review of a new Chinese restaurant in Toronto was swarmed by racist trolls. “There’s a lot of misinformation out there, and some of that can be quite dangerous,” Maria Van Kerkhove, head of the WHO’s emerging diseases unit, said at a press conference in Geneva on Jan. 29.
Viruses have always sparked fear and misinformation, striking panic as rumors spread and people desperate for information latch onto whatever snippets they can find — whether they’re true or not. But the advent of social media has supercharged this process, leading to waves of misinformation over elections, mass shootings, plane crashes and natural disasters.
The outbreak is just the latest test of social networks’ ability to handle the spread of false and dangerous information.
Photo: AFP
照片：法新社
“Early days in an outbreak, there’s so much uncertainty. People don’t like uncertainty. They want answers,” said Timothy Caulfield, a health law professor at the University of Alberta. “Social media is a polarization machine where the loudest voices win,” he said.
(Bloomberg)
擾亂金融市場、讓多國發布旅行禁令的新型冠狀病毒，現在也佔據了網路各角落，再度讓總部位於美國的社群媒體公司疲於辨解他們對防堵不實或危險資訊的傳播所做的努力。
研究人員和記者發現，關於該病毒的錯誤訊息越來越多，從對該病起源的種族歧視的解釋，到奇蹟式療癒的不實說法都有。陰謀論者、惡搞的人及酸民利用恐慌來增加他們自己網路帳號的流量，這一切都助長了這些有害的資訊。
事實查核網站「Lead Stories」的共同創辦人馬丁‧申克表示：「這是恐懼、種族歧視、對政府之不信任，以及電玩遊戲『Big Pharma』（大藥廠）的完美結合」。「人們不信任官方的說法。」
自中國武漢市發源的新型冠狀病毒，目前已造成九百多人死亡、逾四萬人感染，有二十多國出現確診病例。
美國一些持陰謀論的帳號在推特和臉書發出訊息稱，喝漂白水可預防甚至治癒這種病毒。
約翰霍普金斯大學戰略研究教授托馬斯‧里德表示，在這有社群媒體的年代，「謠言可以比過去傳播得更快、更廣」。他有一本探討假消息歷史的書即將出版。「這當然也讓陰謀活動傳播得更快。它們散佈得更廣，並因訊息無法刪除，所以更是揮之不去。」
有些網路點閱量和假消息完全是針對中國人和所有亞洲人的種族歧視。將冠狀病毒歸咎於中國烹飪方式的貼文快速傳開，多倫多一家新開張中餐館的網路評語，被種族歧視的惡搞酸民灌爆。「有很多錯誤訊息，其中有的可能非常危險」，世界衛生組織新興疾病部門主管瑪利亞‧范科霍芙一月二十九日在日內瓦的記者會上表示。
病毒總是引發恐懼和假消息，隨著謠言的傳播造成人們恐慌、迫切希望獲取資訊，找到任何關於病毒的隻字片語便照單全收──不論這些資訊是否屬實。社群媒體的出現則加劇了這個過程，導致有關選舉、大規模槍擊案、飛機失事及自然災害等之假消息層出不窮。
此次的疫情爆發，是對社群網站能力的最新測試，考驗它如何處理不實與危險訊息的散布。
「在疫情爆發的早期，不確定的事太多了。人們不喜歡不確定性。他們要的是答案」。亞伯達大學健康法教授提莫西‧考菲爾德說，「社群媒體是兩極分化的機器，誰聲音最大誰就贏」。
（台北時報林俐凱編譯）
FOLLOW UP 讀後練習
Questions
1. What do you think is the motivation behind the creation of misinformation and fake news?
2. Why do you think people believe, and then go on to spread, misinformation?
3. What could be done to curb the spread of misinformation?
4. Please list misinformation about the coronavirus that you have heard about. What measures have been taken by governments and other groups to tackle it?
(Lin Lee-kai, Taipei Times)
Jiang Yiwu paced the small room and wondered how the leader of the Literary Society had got here. He could hear the Russian and Manchu police outside. They were looking for him. The Russians controlled the railways now, cutting through China, taking land and resources. The people were angry, and so was he. The revolution was almost ready. But things went wrong. Sun Wu, a key leader, lay in the hospital with critical wounds. The explosives were meant for the revolution but detonated by accident. Sun and the revolutionary plans were discovered by the police. Jiang grimaced at the
At an unusual event, a group of people gather and sit together without interacting or checking their phones. Instead, they concentrate on nothing at all and empty their minds for the Space-Out Competition. Originally proposed by South Korean artist Woopsyang in 2014, this event is a form of performance art. It challenges the social expectation to remain constantly busy in this fast-paced world, offering competitors a pause from their routines. For 90 minutes, players are scored on how well they “space out” based on artistic and technical aspects, with their heart rates monitored every 15 minutes. Then, the audience votes for
A: Taiwanese-language pop singer Jody Chiang is finally staging a comeback after having “turned off the microphone” for nine years. B: Yeah, she’s set to perform for the National Day celebration at the Taipei Dome this Saturday. A: As the best Taiwanese-language singer, it would be a big loss if she continued her hiatus. B: Recently, Chiang revealed that she quit singing in 2015 due to cancer. A: That’s shocking. But it’s great to see her healthy and able to turn the mic back on again. A: 台語歌后江蕙「封麥」9年後，終於即將復開唱了。 B: 對啊她本週六將參加國慶晚會，在大巨蛋開唱。 A: 江蕙可是最棒的台語歌手，如果不唱歌太可惜了。 B: 她最近才透露，其實2015年是因為罹癌才會「封麥」。 A: 真是令人震驚！能再看到她健康地「開麥」太好啦。 （By Eddy Chang,
A: Apart from Taiwanese-language pop diva Jody Chiang’s comeback, South Korean girl group (G)I-dle is also performing in Taiwan this weekend. B: I know. They have concerts at the Taipei Arena on Saturday and Sunday. A: Actually, to meet their fans’ high demand, they’ve added one more show on Friday. B: They’re even adding a show? That shows how popular they are. A: My favorite group member is Taiwan’s Susan Yeh, known by her stage name “Shuhua.” Let’s go cheer her on. A: 本週末除了江蕙復出，南韓熱門女團(G)I-dle也將開唱唷。 B: 我知道，他們本週六、日將在小巨蛋開唱。 A: 應粉絲的要求，他們本週五還會加場。 B: 還加場？不愧是韓流人氣女團。 A: 我最喜歡台灣團員葉舒華！我們快去幫她加油吧。 （By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張聖恩）
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