The DOI matches its Crossref record; 8 of the 8 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
‘Corona? 5G? or both?’: the dynamics of COVID-19/5G conspiracy theories on Facebook
Open accessAbstract
Focussing in detail on one key component of the infodemic surrounding COVID-19, this article traces the dissemination dynamics of rumours that the pandemic outbreak was somehow related to the rollout of 5G mobile telephony technology in Wuhan and around the world. Drawing on a mixture of quantitative and qualitative methods including time-series analysis, network analysis and in-depth close reading, our analysis shows the dissemination of the rumour on Facebook from its obscure origins in pre-existing conspiracist groups through greater uptake in more diverse communities to substantial amplification by celebrities, sports stars and media outlets. The in-depth tracing of COVID-related mis- and disinformation across social networks offers important new insights into the dynamics of online information dissemination and points to opportunities to slow and stop the spread of false information, or at least to combat it more directly with accurate counterinformation.
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“More recently, Bruns et al. (2020) demonstrated that the conspiracy theory linking 5G to COVID-19 emerged by merging two existing conspiracy theories -one positing that the pandemic was a deliberate event and the other asserting that 5G emissions have adverse health effects.”
From The Seed of Doubt: Examining the Role of Alternative Social and News Media for the Birth of a Conspiracy Theory (2024) · cites this paper as Bruns et al., 2020
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Cites
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Cited by
Sorted by citations
What social media told us in the time of COVID-19: A scoping review
Tsao, S.-F., Chen, H., Tisseverasinghe, T., Yang, Y., Li, L., & Butt, Z. A. (2021) · The Lancet Digital Health · doi:10.1016/s2589-7500(20)30315-0 · Cited by 816
An epidemic of uncertainty: rumors, conspiracy theories and vaccine hesitancy
Pertwee, E., Simas, C., & Larson, H. J. (2022) · Nature Medicine · doi:10.1038/s41591-022-01728-z · Cited by 356
Antecedents and consequences of COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs: A systematic review
van Mulukom, V., Pummerer, L., Alper, S., Bai, H., Čavojová, V., Farias, J. E. M., Kay, C. S., Lazarević, L. B., Lobato, E. J. C., Marinthe, G., et al. (2022) · Social Science & Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.114912 · Cited by 437
Kwok, S. W. H., Vadde, S. K., & Wang, G. (2021) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/26953 · Cited by 198
Mahl, D., Schäfer, M. S., & Zeng, J. (2022) · New Media & Society · doi:10.1177/14614448221075759 · Cited by 132
Metadata
- Authors
- Bruns, A., Harrington, S., & Hurcombe, E.
- Affiliations
- Queensland University of Technology (AU)
- Corresponding author
- Bruns, Axel
- Venue
- Media International Australia
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2020-08-04
- Volume
- 177
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 12-29
- ISSN
- 1324-5325 (ISSN-L)
- 1329-878X
- 2200-467X
- PMC
- PMC7404088
- OpenAlex
- W3047084175
- Cited by
- 291
- References
- 8
- Citations by year
- 2026: 18 · 2025: 23 · 2024: 54 · 2023: 56 · 2022: 72 · 2021: 62 · 2020: 6
- FWCI
- 65.57
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Locations
- Media International Australia (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- QUT ePrints (Queensland University of Technology) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Figshare (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Australian Research Council (DP200101317 Evaluating the Challenge of ‘Fake Ne, FT130100703 Understanding Intermedia Information F)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Misinformation and Its Impacts
- Social Sciences › Communication › Communication and COVID-19 Impact
- Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Statistical and Nonlinear Physics › Complex Network Analysis Techniques
- Keywords
- COVID-19 conspiracy theories, 5G, infodemic, disinformation, Facebook, online information dissemination, counter-information
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