scholarly journals COVID-19-Related Web Search Behaviors and Infodemic Attitudes in Italy: Infodemiological Study

10.2196/19374 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. e19374 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessandro Rovetta ◽  
Akshaya Srikanth Bhagavathula
Keyword(s):  
Web Search ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Google Trends ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Fake News ◽  
Search Activity ◽  
Campania Region ◽  
Search Volume ◽  
Government Websites ◽  
Novel Coronavirus

Background Since the beginning of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, fake news and misleading information have circulated worldwide, which can profoundly affect public health communication. Objective We investigated online search behavior related to the COVID-19 outbreak and the attitudes of “infodemic monikers” (ie, erroneous information that gives rise to interpretative mistakes, fake news, episodes of racism, etc) circulating in Italy. Methods By using Google Trends to explore the internet search activity related to COVID-19 from January to March 2020, article titles from the most read newspapers and government websites were mined to investigate the attitudes of infodemic monikers circulating across various regions and cities in Italy. Search volume values and average peak comparison (APC) values were used to analyze the results. Results Keywords such as “novel coronavirus,” “China coronavirus,” “COVID-19,” “2019-nCOV,” and “SARS-COV-2” were the top infodemic and scientific COVID-19 terms trending in Italy. The top five searches related to health were “face masks,” “amuchina” (disinfectant), “symptoms of the novel coronavirus,” “health bulletin,” and “vaccines for coronavirus.” The regions of Umbria and Basilicata recorded a high number of infodemic monikers (APC weighted total >140). Misinformation was widely circulated in the Campania region, and racism-related information was widespread in Umbria and Basilicata. These monikers were frequently searched (APC weighted total >100) in more than 10 major cities in Italy, including Rome. Conclusions We identified a growing regional and population-level interest in COVID-19 in Italy. The majority of searches were related to amuchina, face masks, health bulletins, and COVID-19 symptoms. Since a large number of infodemic monikers were observed across Italy, we recommend that health agencies use Google Trends to predict human behavior as well as to manage misinformation circulation in Italy.

scholarly journals COVID-19-Related Web Search Behaviors and Infodemic Attitudes in Italy: Infodemiological Study (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessandro Rovetta ◽  
Akshaya Srikanth Bhagavathula
Keyword(s):  
Web Search ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Google Trends ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Fake News ◽  
Search Activity ◽  
Campania Region ◽  
Search Volume ◽  
Government Websites ◽  
Novel Coronavirus

BACKGROUND Since the beginning of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, fake news and misleading information have circulated worldwide, which can profoundly affect public health communication. OBJECTIVE We investigated online search behavior related to the COVID-19 outbreak and the attitudes of “infodemic monikers” (ie, erroneous information that gives rise to interpretative mistakes, fake news, episodes of racism, etc) circulating in Italy. METHODS By using Google Trends to explore the internet search activity related to COVID-19 from January to March 2020, article titles from the most read newspapers and government websites were mined to investigate the attitudes of infodemic monikers circulating across various regions and cities in Italy. Search volume values and average peak comparison (APC) values were used to analyze the results. RESULTS Keywords such as “novel coronavirus,” “China coronavirus,” “COVID-19,” “2019-nCOV,” and “SARS-COV-2” were the top infodemic and scientific COVID-19 terms trending in Italy. The top five searches related to health were “face masks,” “amuchina” (disinfectant), “symptoms of the novel coronavirus,” “health bulletin,” and “vaccines for coronavirus.” The regions of Umbria and Basilicata recorded a high number of infodemic monikers (APC weighted total >140). Misinformation was widely circulated in the Campania region, and racism-related information was widespread in Umbria and Basilicata. These monikers were frequently searched (APC weighted total >100) in more than 10 major cities in Italy, including Rome. CONCLUSIONS We identified a growing regional and population-level interest in COVID-19 in Italy. The majority of searches were related to amuchina, face masks, health bulletins, and COVID-19 symptoms. Since a large number of infodemic monikers were observed across Italy, we recommend that health agencies use Google Trends to predict human behavior as well as to manage misinformation circulation in Italy.

Antisemitic or Bordering on Antisemitic? Grey Areas in Romanian Fake News Discourses in the Wake of the Covid-19 Pandemic

Transilvania ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 121-127
Author(s):  
Anca-Simina Martin
Keyword(s):  
Influenza Pandemic ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Fake News ◽  
Jewish Communities ◽  
Elie Wiesel ◽  
Working Definition ◽  
The Holocaust ◽  
The Us ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Novel Coronavirus

Jews as a collective have long served as scapegoats for epidemics and pandemics, such as the Bubonic Plague and, according to some scholars, the 1918–1920 influenza pandemic. This practice reemerged in the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, when more and more fake news outlets in the US and Europe started publishing articles on a perceived linkage between Jewish communities and the novel coronavirus. What this article aims to achieve is to facilitate a dialogue between the observations on the phenomenon made by the Elie Wiesel National Institute for the Study of the Holocaust in Romania and the latest related EU reports, with a view to charting its beginnings in Romania in relation to other European countries and in an attempt to see whether Romania, like France and Germany, has witnessed the emergence of “grey area” discourses which are not fully covered by International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance working definition of antisemitism.

Contact Tracing Applications Against COVID-19: A Systematic Review (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmad Nabeel ◽  
Salman AlSabah ◽  
Eliana Al Haddad ◽  
Hutan Ashrafian
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Critical Mass ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Ease Of Use ◽  
Contact Tracing ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Scientific Databases ◽  
Manual Methods ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Transmission Of Disease

BACKGROUND The novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has triggered public anxiety around the world. So far, the evidence suggests that prevention on a public scale is the most effective health measure for thwarting the progress of COVID-19. Another critical aspect of preventing COVID-19 is contact tracing. OBJECTIVE We aimed to investigate the effectiveness of contact tracing applications currently available in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS We undertook a systematic review and narrative synthesis of all literature relating to contact tracing applications in the context of COVID-19. We searched 3 major scientific databases. Only articles that were published in English and were available as full-text articles were selected for review. Data were extracted and narrative syntheses conducted. RESULTS Five studies relating to COVID-19 were included in the review. Our results suggest that digitalized contact tracing methods can be beneficial for impeding the progress of COVID-19. Three key themes were generated from this systematic review. First, the critical mass of application adoption must be attained at the population level before the sensitivity and positive predictive value of the solution can be increased. Second, usability factors such as access, ease of use and the elimination of barriers are essential in driving this uptake. Third, privacy must be ensured where possible as it is the single most significant barrier against achieving critical mass. CONCLUSIONS The COVID-19 pandemic has claimed more than 2 million lives globally, with over 100 million confirmed cases. Contact tracing can rapidly identify potentially infected individuals before the emergence of severe or critical symptoms, and it can also prevent the subsequent transmission of disease from secondary cases when implemented efficiently. Contact tracing methods have proved to be beneficial for impeding the progress of COVID-19 as compared to older, more labor intensive manual methods.

scholarly journals Use of Internet data to track Chinese behavior and interest in COVID-19

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tengteng Wang ◽  
XIude Chen ◽  
Qi Zhang ◽  
Xunbo Jin
Keyword(s):  
Media Coverage ◽  
Policy Decision ◽  
Floating Population ◽  
Analysis Tool ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Prevention Education ◽  
The Public ◽  
Search Volume ◽  
Health Policy Decision ◽  
Novel Coronavirus

Background: During the novel coronavirus pneumonia (COVID-19) outbreak, the internet became the main channel for the public to access all kinds of information. Through search engines and other media, people can aquire information about the epidemic situation in real time. Baidu, currently the top online search tool in China, has developed an internet search trends gathering and analysis tool called Baidu Index. The aim of this study was to understand the public’s focus on the epidemic and their most pressing needs through analysis of the Chinese internet usage during the first month of the outbreak, which was also the most severe period. Method: The data period selected was from January 23, 2020 to February 22, 2020. Through Baidu index, we identified hot search terms related to COVID-19 which were grouped into four categories. Searching trend analysis was obtained depicting the quantities with which each category was searched. Next, we selected the category with the highest search volume, and obtained data regarding geographic and demographic characteristics. Finally, we explored Wuhan residents’ interest in COVID-19 by tracking their online seeking behavior. Results: The public was most concerned about news of "latest developments of epidemic". The remaining categories in descending order of attention received were "basic information of disease", "extended information" and "diagnosis and treatment of the novel coronavirus pneumonia". The mobile search volume was dominant. People searching for "latest developments of epidemic" mostly came from economically developed regions with a large floating population. The group with the maximum concern were men aged 20-49. The most searched terms by Wuhan residents were "how to use a thermometer", "n95 mask", "testing kit" and "nucleic acid testing". Conclusion: Through big data from internet, we can accurately understand public concerns and needs during the epidemic. If this data is used in media coverage, public health policy decision-making, and personal epidemic prevention education, it will certainly play an important role. Other countries and regions in the early stages of the epidemic can also benefit from China's experience.

scholarly journals The Influence of Mass Media on Italian Web Users During COVID-19: An Infodemiological Analysis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessandro Rovetta ◽  
Lucia Castaldo
Keyword(s):  
Mass Media ◽  
Decisive Role ◽  
Scientific Basis ◽  
Google Trends ◽  
Online Information ◽  
Information Giving ◽  
Search Volume ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Relative Search Volume ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Alongside the COVID-19 pandemic, the world has had to face a growing infodemic, which has caused severe damage to economic and health systems and has often compromised the effectiveness of infection containment regulations. Although this has spread mainly through social media, there are numerous occasions in which the mass media have shared dangerous information, giving resonance to statements without a scientific basis. For these reasons, infoveillance and infodemiology methods are increasingly exploited to monitor online information traffic. The same tools have also been used to make epidemiological predictions. Among these, Google Trends - a service by GoogleTM that quantifies the web interest of users in the form of relative search volume - has often been adopted by the scientific community. In this regard, the purpose of this paper is to use Google Trends to estimate the impact of Italian mass media on users' web searches in order to understand the role of press and television channels in both the infodemic and the interest of Italian netizens on COVID-19. In conclusion, our results suggest that the Italian mass media have played a decisive role both in the spread of the infodemic and in addressing netizens' web interest, thus favoring the adoption of terms unsuitable for identifying the novel coronavirus (COVID- 19 disease). Therefore, it is highly advisable that the directors of news channels and newspapers be more cautious and government dissemination agencies exert more control over such news.

scholarly journals A New Infodemiological Approach Through Google Trends: Longitudinal Analysis of COVID-19 Scientific and Infodemic Names in Italy

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessandro Rovetta ◽  
Lucia Castaldo
Keyword(s):  
User Behavior ◽  
International Health ◽  
Google Trends ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Economic Activities ◽  
Online Tool ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Health Agencies ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Novel Coronavirus

Abstract COVID-19 has been classified by the scientific community as the worst pandemic in human history. The damage caused by the new disease was direct (e.g., deaths) and indirect (e.g., closure of economic activities). Within the latter category, we find infodemic phenomena such as the adoption of generic and stigmatizing names used to identify COVID-19 and the related novel coronavirus 2019 variants. These monikers have fostered the spread of health disinformation and misinformation, and fomented racism and segregation towards the Chinese population. In this regard, we present a comprehensive infodemiological picture of Italy from the epidemic outbreak in December 2019 until September 2021. In particular, we propose a new procedure to examine in detail the web interest of users in scientific and infodemic monikers linked to the identification of COVID-19. To do this, we exploited the online tool Google Trends. Our findings reveal the widespread use of multiple COVID-19-related names not considered in the previous literature, as well as a persistent trend in the adoption of stigmatizing and generic terms. Inappropriate names for cataloging novel coronavirus 2019 variants of concern have even been adopted by national health agencies. Furthermore, we also showed that early denominations influenced user behavior for a long time and were difficult to replace. For these reasons, we suggest that the assignments of scientific names to new diseases are more timely and advise against mass media and international health authorities using terms linked to the geographical origin of the novel coronavirus 2019 variants.

scholarly journals Ambiguity in authenticity of top-level Coronavirus-related domains

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathanael Tombs ◽  
Eleonore Fournier-Tombs
Keyword(s):  
Information Security ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Critical Information ◽  
Government Websites ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Reliable Mechanism

During the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) crisis, citizens have been attempting to obtain critical information and directives from official government websites. These are usually hosted on top-level domains, such as coronavirus.mx. There is no reliable mechanism to verify these websites’ authenticity, and the space is also shared by commercial entities selling related (or not) products and advertisements. This loophole is an urgent information security and misinformation problem that can be resolved by registering websites under restricted second-level domains or adopting existing methods of domain registrant identification.

scholarly journals Web Search Trends of Implementing the Patient Autonomy Act in Taiwan

Healthcare ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 353
Author(s):  
Po-Chin Yang ◽  
Mei-Ju Shih ◽  
Ya-An Liu ◽  
Ya-Chuan Hsu ◽  
Hsiao-Ting Chang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Patient Autonomy ◽  
Web Search ◽  
Information Sources ◽  
Online Information ◽  
Search Activity ◽  
Activity Data ◽  
Web Resources ◽  
Search Volume ◽  
Advance Care ◽  
Google Search

Background: The Patient Autonomy Act was implemented in Taiwan on 6 January 2019. It is the first patient-oriented act in Taiwan, and also the first special act to completely protect patient autonomy in Asia. Our study aimed to investigate the web resources citizens were able to access on the eve of the implementation of the Patient Autonomy Act in Taiwan. Methods: Patient Autonomy Act-related web resources were searched for by entering 10 related terms individually into the Google search engine in January 2019 and again in April 2019. Search activity data were analyzed using Google Trends. Results: “Advance care planning” and “advance decision” were the most relevant keywords for finding information about the Patient Autonomy Act on the eve of the act’s implementation in Taiwan. The main online information sources were non-governmental websites including news sites and online magazines. The related search volume only increased on the eve of implementation. Conclusions: Even though the Patient Autonomy Act was first published three years before its implementation, the related search volume only increased on the eve of its implementation. Therefore, whether the three-year buffer between its publication and implementation was necessary requires further investigation.

scholarly journals The impact of COVID-19 on Italy Web users: a quantitative analysis of regional hygiene interest and emotional response

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessandro Rovetta ◽  
Lucia Castaldo
Keyword(s):  
Physical Health ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Google Trends ◽  
P Value ◽  
Online Information ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Web Searches ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Mental And Physical Health

Background: Between the end of February and the beginning of June 2020, Italy was certainly one of the worst affected countries in the world by the COVID-19 pandemic. During this period, web interest in the novel coronavirus has undergone a drastic surge. Objective: The aim of this study was to quantitatively analyze the impact of COVID-19 on Web searches related to hygiene-preventive measures and emotional-psychological aspects as well as to estimate the effectiveness and limits of online information during an epidemic. We looked for significant correlations between COVID-19 relative search volumes and cases per region to understand the interest of the average Italian Web user during international, national, and regional COVID-19 situations. By doing so, from the analysis of Web searches, it will be possible to deduce the mental and physical health of the population. Methods: To conduct this research, we used the "Google Trends" tool, which returns normalized values, called "relative search volumes" (RSVs), ranging from 0 to 100 according to the Web popularity of a group of queries. By comparing the RSVs in periods before and after the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in Italy, we derived the impact of COVID-19 on the activity of Italian netizens towards novel coronavirus itself, specifically regarding hygiene, prevention, and psychological well-being. Furthermore, we calculated Pearson's correlations ρ ; between all these queries and COVID-19 cases for each region. We chose a p-value (p) threshold α=.1. Results: After the two initial spikes that occurred on February 23 and March 9, 2020, the general web interest in COVID-19 in Italy waned, as did the correlation with the official number of cases per region (p< .1 only until March 14, 2020). However, web interest was similarly distributed across the regions (ASV=92,SD=6). We also found that all trends depend significantly on the number of COVID-19 cases at national but not international or regional levels. Between February 20 and June 10, 2020, web interest relating to hygiene and prevention increased by 116% and 901%, respectively, compared to those from January 1 to February 19, 2020 (95% CIs: [115.3,116.3],[850.3,952,2]). Significant correlations between regional cumulative web searches and COVID-19 cases were found only between February 26 and March 7, 2020 (ρ-best= .43, 95% CI:[.42,.44],p= .07). During the COVID-19 pandemic until June 10, 2020, national web searches of the generic terms "fear" and "anxiety" grew by 8% and 21%, respectively (95% CIs: [8.0,8.2],[20.4,20.6]) compared to those of the period January 1, 2018 - December 29, 2019. We found cyclically significant correlations between negative emotions related to the novel coronavirus and COVID-19 official data. Conclusions: Italian netizens showed a marked interest in the COVID-19 pandemic only when this became a direct national problem. In general, web searches have rarely been correlated with the number of cases per region; we conclude that the danger, once it arrived in the country, was perceived similarly in all regions. We can state that the period of maximum effectiveness of online information, in relation to this type of situation, is limited to 3-4 days from a specific key event. If such a scenario were to occur again, we suggest that all government agencies focus their web disclosure efforts over that time. Despite this, we found cyclical correlations with web searches related to negative feelings such as anxiety, depression, fear, and stress. Therefore, to identify mental and physical health problems among the population, it suffices to observe slight variations in the trend of related web queries. Keywords: COVID-19, Google Trends, web interests, Italy, novel coronavirus.

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