Miscommunicating the COVID-19 Pandemic

Ran Wei is Chair Professor in the School of Communication of Hong Kong Baptist University, a retired Professor of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and a Distinguished Professor Emeritus of the University of South Carolina, USA. Chapter Lead Authors Dong Dong is Assistant Professor in the Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Her research interests include health communication, science and technology studies, health equity, and social justice. Guanxiong Huang is Associate Professor in the Department of Media and Communication at City University of Hong Kong. Her research interests include health communication, media psychology, and persuasive technologies. Yi-Hui Christine Huang is a Chair Professor in the Department of Media and Communication and the Associate Dean of College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences at City University of Hong Kong. Her research interests include strategic communication and risk communication. Hai Liang is Associate Professor in the School of Journalism and Communication at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. His research interests include computational social science, political communication, and public health. Ven-hwei Lo is Visiting Professor in the Department of Journalism at the Hong Kong Baptist University. His research expertise falls into two streams: effects of mass media and journalism studies. Sibo Wang is Assistant Professor in the Department of Systems Engineering and Engineering Management at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. His research focuses on database and data mining.

List of Contributors

Acknowledgments

1. Introduction

2. The Emergence of COVID-19 Misinformation: Conception and Message Characteristics

3. Diffusion of Misinformation: Topological Characteristics and User Vulnerability

4. Exposure to Misinformation: Patterns and Predictors

5. Sharing Misinformation: Facilitating the Spread

6. Consequences of Exposure to Misinformation: Negative Emotions and Biased Risk Perception

7. The Antivax Phenomenon: Trust and Misinformation

8. The Cognitive Outcomes of Misinformation: Misbeliefs and Knowledge

9. Swamped: Misinformation and Information Overload

10. Fighting Back: Citizen Actions to Combat Misinformation

11. Modeling the Dynamic Process and Adverse Effects of Misinformation

12. An Asian Perspective on Combating Misinformation: What Have We Learned?

Appendices