Fighting an Infodemic
The world is in the throws of the COVID-19 pandemic. And one of the challenges being faced by society, the healthcare system, governments and the rest is an infodemic.
The world is in the throws of the COVID-19 pandemic. And one of the challenges facing society, the healthcare system, governments and the rest is an infodemic.
People are burning down cell tower masts because they believe that 5G is causing coronavirus – even if the masts are not 5G. Other questionable religious leaders are trying to cash in on coronavirus cures in the style of the snake oil salesmen of the 1700s. And some celebrity television personalities desperate for attention (good or bad) are being verbally abusive and unhelpful when interviewing key stakeholders.
Social media like Twitter, Facebook – and messenger apps like WhatsApp and Telegram – are hotbeds for conspiracy theories and misinformation.
Equally, reasoned and informed data, recommendations and views are available but sometimes struggle to cut through the noise.
The volume of information and lack of an easy way to check and verify the veracity of the information constitutes an infodemic.
“infodemic: An excessive amount of information concerning a problem such that the solution is made more difficult.”
.Information and data alone have low value. For information to have value, it requires two things: source and context. For example, the data is, “The sky is black”. It doesn’t mean much by itself. If a non-sighted person reported this, then the source is understood. If it was reported noting that it was midnight, it has more value.
A public, immutable and auditable record of information, as well as its source and context, could prove to be an invaluable resource to help reduce the volume of data. The registry could provide a trace function to identify the source of the data and the context in which the data began. It would give the public the ability to view the origins of the information and any subsequent updates. This registry could exist as a public repository of data with the track, trace, transfer, transform and identity data entered into a blockchain.
In an article about 5G causing coronavirus, the author can refer to where they got their information. Many items will have come from the same base article. That author can refer to the quote that came from the Belgian scientist. And the quote from a Belgian general practitioner can be made available. What would also be available is the name and context of anyone who “interprets” the quote like the reporter for Het Laatste Nieuws. You could tell at a glance how the information was spread – or maybe tore – through the Internet.
Of course, providing access to this level of information is not without its challenges.
“Creating fear, uncertainty and doubt is big business.”
Transparency is not always desirable (and frequently not profitable). If each claim was traceable to its source in a clear, simple and trusted way, it would put many people out of business. Creating fear, uncertainty and doubt is big business. The majority of today’s media are reliant on advertising for their revenue. They need people’s attention to sell to advertisers. And humans are hard-wired to pay attention to those things which may kill us, hence why the media is full of examples of broken trust, injury and death.
Even with the information readily and freely available, not everyone will take advantage of the resource. Some will declare that the data in the registry is false because it doesn’t align with their world view. Some will not bother to look at the registry for fear that they may have repeated something which can be proven as false. Others will not want to look at the registry because it is just too much hard work to apply critical thinking and investigation.
The concept of a media registry has all of the critical elements for a credible blockchain project. There is a need for trust and transparency. There is a need for public accessibility to the information which supports tracking and tracing of information through the various people and media channels. There are multiple stakeholders in the form of media outlets, reporters, regulators, citizens, experts (and charlatans). A media registry could add value in a cross border global way. And as with all good blockchain projects, the challenge is not with the technology. The challenge is in aligning the priorities of all the stakeholders. The reason there isn’t such a registry already is a people problem – not a blockchain problem.
Troy Norcross, Co-Founder Blockchain Rookies
Twitter: @troy_norcross