Navigating the infodemic: what can we learn from the COVID-19 crisis?

Abstract

In times of uncertainty, an excess of information can become a significant source of psychological distress. The COVID-19 pandemic thrust millions into a whirlwind of fear and confusion, in which access to reliable information offered a sense of security against invisible threats (Gao et al., 2020; Garfin et al., 2020). However, amid the urgent search for clarity, a parallel crisis quietly unfolded: a dramatic increase in global information consumption, often marked by the spread of misinformation and fake news (Cinelli et al., 2020; Masip et al., 2020; Ramírez et al., 2020). In this context, understanding how individuals sought, interpreted, and placed trust in information offers valuable lessons for addressing future global crises and developing effective strategies to combat infodemic.