Mostly Fake

My limited coronavirus postings, which have nothing to do with coronavirus but everything to do with fake this and fake that:

WHO says fake coronavirus claims causing 'infodemic'
Feb 2020, BBC News

WHO says false information "spreading faster than the virus itself"

I mean, come on, it's immaterial; the noosphere knows not the limits of physical reality let alone biological contagion etc.

Scared and especially sick people are especially vulnerable to misinformation. Desperation will make you believe anything.

What's so bad about fake information?

Sure taking a handful of vitamin C isn't going to kill you, but drinking a glass of bleach might (sorry I drafted this before the thing happened). You never know which miracle cure is coming out of the bag. But what's also detrimental is that fake cures give people a fake sense of security, which is dangerous because when you think you're safe, you behave differently. You go out to the store, you don't wash your hands, you name it. And that makes you more likely to get sick, and more likely the virus will spread to others.

Those who spread misinformation aren't deliberately trying to hurt anyone, not necessarily. In fact, they don't even care about the virus. They just want to divert traffic, they want to snag all the clicks they can, and spinning the most popular thing at the moment is the best way to do that. Donald Trump is President? Donald Trump is an Alien! Banning Plastic Bags? Plastic Bags are made of Magical Alien Tongues! Got Problems? Doctors Hate Him!

alt article:
Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) Situation Report 13
Feb 2020, WHO

The 2019-nCoV outbreak and response has been accompanied by a massive ‘infodemic’ - an over-abundance of information – some accurate and some not – that makes it hard for people to find trustworthy sources and reliable guidance when they need it.

Organization is working 24 hours a day to identify the most prevalent rumours that can potentially harm the public’s health, such as false prevention measures or cures. These myths are then refuted with evidence-based information. WHO is making public health information and advice on the 2019-nCoV, including myth busters, available on its social media channels and website.

Coronavirus - The seven types of people who start and spread viral misinformation
May 2020, BBC News

Great simple shortlist of the generators of fake news:

• The Joker - just kidding though
• The Scammer - everything can be commodified, including your gullability
• The Politician - also a business relationship
• Conspiracy Theorist - somewhere between entrepreneur, psychotic, teacher, preacher and scientist
• The Insider - likely a conspiracy theorist, and lying about their insider status
• Relatives - alarming things make people worry, and then they tell those they care about, including you
• Celebrities - they have huge platforms

Coronavirus - Far-right spreads Covid-19 'infodemic' on Facebook
May 2020, BBC News

It was "coordinated" now its "covert"; just keeping track:
The Epoch Times.com, a news site whose advertising was banned by Facebook, and which was accused of covert inauthentic activity by both Facebook and Twitter last year, received more than 48 million interactions

(Coronoavirus) Research links personality traits to toilet paper stockpiling
June 2020, phys.org

The most robust predictor of toilet paper stockpiling was the perceived threat posed by the pandemic; people who felt more threatened tended to stockpile more toilet paper. Partly, this effect was based on the personality factor of emotionality—people who generally tend to worry a lot and feel anxious are more likely to feel threatened and stockpile toilet paper.

The personality domain of conscientiousness—which includes traits of organization, diligence, perfectionism and prudence—was also a predictor of stockpiling (p = .048).

Other observations were that older people stockpiled more toilet paper than younger people and that Americans stockpiled more than Europeans.

The researchers pointed out that the variables studied explained only 12% of the variability in toilet paper stockpiling, which suggests that some psychological explanations and situational factors likely remain unaccounted for.

-image source: Nature

Post Script
Coronavirus - Already in Italy by December, waste water study finds
June 2020, BBC News

Municipal sewage screening - add big data to that and you've got a nice social monitoring system for drug use, hormone changes, diet phases, you name it. The data's been there the whole time.