La “infodemia” en la crisis del coronavirus: Análisis de desinformaciones en España y Latinoamérica

Abstract

This paper analyzes the spreaded disinformation about the coronavirus in Spain and Latin America in the 01/23/2020-05/03/2020 period. A quantitative analysis of the following variables has been carried out: volume of disinformation by country (as well as its over time evolution), type of disinformation, channel of dissemination, sources of disinformation and misleading circulation networks between countries. In the case of Spain, the correlation between disinformation production and pandemic evolution and trends searches about coronavirus issues has also been studied. The results clearly show that the evolution of the pandemic influences the propagation of hoaxes, triggered at critical moments such as the pandemic declaration made by the WHO. In the case of Spain, the higher growth rate of the disinformation curve matches the higher number of searches on the subject.