The Nonverbal Framing of COVID-19 Misinformation Messages in Global Perspective

• In Event: Is There a Cure for Misinformation?

Abstract

Misinformation has steadily crept into the public realm over the past decades, but the COVID-19 crisis presents a unique opportunity to better understand how such messages utilize visual and verbal framing devices at a global scale. Taking advantage of the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) database of COVID-19 misinformation, this paper analyzes the framing architecture of N=1000 debunked social media and website-based messages in over 70 countries, from April to September 2020. Starting from earlier research by Dumitrescu & Trpkovic (2021), which examined the structure of nonverbal and verbal framing features of disinformation messages in 16 European countries in April in May 2020, this project tracks the presence of topics, problems, and blame attribution in messages that utilize both verbal and nonverbal communication elements. Using human coder data, we examine three research questions. First, at the more general level, how do topic, problem and blame attribution frame features vary by geographic area and over the six months? Our initial European-based results uncovered a significant association between positive and negative nonverbal displays and the blame target (individual or group, political or non-political) identified by the misinformation message. In line with this earlier finding, our second research question is: to what extent are specific nonverbal displays associated to blame attribution in COVID-19 misinformation messages across different world regions and over time? Our third question investigates the uses of symbolic visuals aimed at eliciting emotion (e.g., flags, aimed at ramping up nationalism, or coffins, aimed at stroking fear) in conjunction with frame elements, also across time and space. By expanding previous research, such as by Brennen et al (2020), the project provides a rounded investigation of the nonverbal architecture of viral fake claims across the globe in the initial stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. The results provide important insights into their persuasiveness and can help to better fine-tune future strategies for combatting them.

Author

• Delia Dumitrescu, Heidelberg University