HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Public health experts and government officials say they’re being hobbled in their efforts to right the spread of COVID by opponents spreading misinformation.
“I do think that misinformation has played a big part of the crisis we’re in right now in our community,” said state Sen. Jarrett Keohokalole, who is one of the members of the senate’s Special Committee on COVID-19.
Keohokalole said the state is trying to connect more with skeptics to win the public’s trust. But on social media, that appears to be a monumental task.
One Instagram page known for posting funny Hawaii videos now has almost all anti-vaccine messages. It’s creator said it’s because he’s pro-choice and doesn’t trust the government.
Neither does the man who recently confronted the lieutenant governor, claiming the state is lying about COVID statistics. His Instagram page has nearly 3,500 followers, even though he was accused of inflating his medical credentials.
“Right now in a lot of social media algorithms, you’re not exposed to all sides of the information,” said University of Hawaii communicology professor Amy Hubbard. She said that often, social media leads down a one-sided rabbit hole.
“I click on something that, oh, I’m interested in, or I’m not sure, or that sounds provocative, that sounds kinda juicy, and I click on it -- what will happen then is that we are more likely to information like that,” said Hubbard.
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