Open AccessNew mental costumes: Leveraging ACRL’s value of information frame in dealing with infodemics in a post-truth era
Author(s) -
Oluwole Olumide Durodolu,
Samuel Kelechukwu Ibenne,
Tinyiko Vivian Dube
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
college and research libraries news
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.281
H-Index - 23
eISSN - 2150-6698
pISSN - 0099-0086
DOI - 10.5860/crln.82.4.175
Subject(s) - misinformation , deception , context (archaeology) , internet privacy , social media , value (mathematics) , psychology , frame (networking) , pace , public relations , computer science , social psychology , epistemology , political science , computer security , history , law , telecommunications , philosophy , archaeology , machine learning , geodesy , geography
An infodemic can be defined a disproportionate aggregate of information regarding a problem that makes exposure to reality challenging in a manner that compromises logical thinking. It can also be categorized as a pervasive and deliberate spread of misinformation geared towards deceitfulness. In the 1st WHO Infodemiology Conference, it was affirmed in the context of the coronavirus pandemic that infodemic had heightened deception to the point that necessitates a harmonized response because of the overabundance of misinformation that the world is inundated with, so much so that finding dependable sources and reliable guidance when urgently needed has become an uphill task. Consequently, misinformation blows out of proportion at a remarkably faster pace and further compounded the complexity to health emergency response. The abundance of information on social media oftentimes without authentic sources leads to a dilemma in distinguishing facts, mere opinions, propaganda, or prejudices. Social media has become an avenue for all sorts of misinformation that initially seems credible but later proves fraudulent. Conversely, by the time the authenticity is confirmed to be false, the damage may be irreversible.