Comprehending Covidiocy Communication

Abstract

This chapter examines the conceptual categories of fake news and conspiracy theory as well as selective theoretical perspectives that elucidate the reasons for their efficacy. It reviews several taxonomies and typologies relevant to the spectrum of dismisinformation. Fake news takes numerous potential forms of misinformation in the transmedia environment, including “false connection, false context, context manipulation, satire or parody, misleading content, deceiving content, and made-up content.” The distinction between routine political polarization and identity politics, and disinformation, may be difficult to ascertain. A basic function of conspiracy theories and fake news is likely to be uncertainty reduction in the context of threatening or anxiety-provoking uncertainty. The narrative immersion model extends narrative theory into health communication specifically. There is a plenty of space for critical and interpretive theory to contribute to managing such crises. Implying that there are no immutable truths to such crises is not only untenable but dangerous. © 2021 John Wiley and Sons Inc.