Abstract:

The COVID-19 pandemic ravaged the globe, resulting in massive infections and deaths. In the post-truth age, where irrationality and rumours seem to speak louder than facts, social media has paved the way for conspiracy theories, fake news, and misleading evidence to circulate at a breakneck pace, fuelled by society's paranoia and confusion. One of the most crucial factors of this phenomenon is the low level of media literacy seen in social media users, which provides fertile ground for the spread of falsehoods, triggered by the sense of fear of the unknown, which in turn is preyed upon by those who want to see their false narratives being disseminated across the online space. Several experts have defined the emerging phenomenon as an "infodemic", emphasizing the virality of the spread of misleading or manipulated content on social media, as well as the damaging effects it may have on people. In this paper, we refer to a specific organised group established in several countries under the name of “Doctors for the Truth”. This movement, which was born on Facebook, has caused significant social consternation due to its relentless dissemination of misinformation and conspiracy theories as well as the negationist nature of its claims regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite being branded as a source of disinformation by the media and Facebook, it reflects a growing community of doctors and supporters. We present the preliminary results of an in-depth case study analysis of the movement and its followers' activities and beliefs. By identifying, through content categorization, the main themes they discuss, the ideas and conspiracies they support, and the emotions revealed in the group’s narrative, we highlight the strategies utilized by the community to develop and sustain a sense of trust among its audience, placing them in genuine echo-chambers, while demoting good media literacy habits. This investigation's findings contribute to the growing body of literature regarding misinformation on Facebook about the COVID-19 pandemic. We shed light on just how dangerous a deficient level of media literacy can contribute to users not being able to distinguish good sources of information from disinformation and misinformation, which fosters the growing body of fake news circulating online.

Keywords:

Disinformation, Conspiracy, COVID-19, Doctors for The Truth, Facebook, Hate Speech, Media Literacy, Echo-Chamber.