1. Countering Misinformation Via WhatsApp: Evidence from the COVID-19 Pandemic in Zimbabwe
- Author:
- Jeremy Bowles, Horacio Larreguy, and Shelley Liu
- Publication Date:
- 05-2020
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University
- Abstract:
- We examine how information from trusted social media sources can shape knowledge and behavior when misinformation and mistrust are widespread. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic in Zimbabwe, we partnered with a trusted civil society organization to randomize the timing of the dissemination of messages aimed at targeting misinformation about the COVID-19 virus to 27,000 newsletter WhatsApp subscribers. We examine how exposure to these messages affects individual beliefs about how to deal with the COVID-19 virus and preventative behavior. The results show that social media messaging from trusted sources may have substantively large effects on not only individual knowledge but also ultimately on related behavior.
- Topic:
- Science and Technology, Internet, Social Media, Pandemic, COVID-19, Misinformation, and WhatsApp
- Political Geography:
- Africa and Zimbabwe