Pandemic panic: How to spot false information about Covid online (and make sure it doesn’t affect your mental health)

If you’re experiencing panic and anxiety around Covid-19, you’re not alone – and being as informed as possible is a great first step to feeling better

Since the beginning of the pandemic, false information around Covid-19 has been rampant on social media. Whether it’s a WhatsApp message or a Twitter thread, chances are you’ve consumed false information about Covid symptoms, governmental restrictions or treatments for the virus since March of this year. The question is, were you able to tell that the information wasn’t true?

According to a recent YouGov survey, 26% of people get most of their information about Covid-19 from social media – even though 62% admit that some of the information they’ve seen online later turned out to be false.

When it comes to Covid-19, the disconnect online between medically-certified and safe information, and rumours and bogus claims is becoming increasingly dangerous. Fear, anxiety and panic levels about the virus are rising across the world. To stay safe and keep your mental wellbeing in check, it’s important to recognise which information is worth following.

Burton Paul is a digital healthcare expert based in the U.K, and penned the book Is It Serious? Your Guide to Credible Health Information Online before we’d even heard of Covid-19. When the pandemic hit Europe earlier this year, the importance of Paul’s advice around recognising false information and keeping your mental health in a positive state became apparent, as 91% of people said they believe more should be done to educate and protect people on how to search for medical information online.

Here, IMAGE sat down with Paul to discuss where false information comes from, why it spreads so quickly, and most importantly, how to assess online health information to make sure it’s accurate and safe.

Where does this false information come from?

According to Paul, there’s no one reason or motivation behind creating false healthcare information. “It’s a combination of things – some may create it as a joke, some may believe this information and believe that the world needs to hear it. I don’t necessarily believe that people want to maliciously to hurt others”, he says. “But once it’s out there, the nature of social media means that some people want attention to be on them – they want to get those likes and follows, and that leads to posting false information”.

The reason that rumours or fake news about the pandemic spread so quickly is that we’re in a perfect storm, says Paul. “Firstly, as we’re all more isolated, social media has become one of the most primary and significant ways of communicating with our friends and loved ones.

On top of that, people are not aware of what is credible and what isn’t. How many people are familiar with health organisations, with their websites? They may have credible information right in front of them, but if they don’t have the tools to identify what’s real and what’s not, it can be very hard to recognise it,” he says.

How to look after your mental health during lockdown

According to a YouGov survey taken in June of this year, 54% of 2000 people surveyed said they felt anxiety, low mood and panic while using social media during lockdown. Faced with a winter of further restrictions and isolation, how can we keep our mental wellbeing in check?

According to Paul, it’s about preparing your mindset as much as possible. “If you view the potential lockdowns as a challenge, rather than immediately identifying it as a stressful situation, it will be easier to deal with,” he says.

For Paul, two things are essential in keeping your mental health as well as possible. Number one: stay connected. “Whether it’s through social media, over the phone or texting, make sure you are keeping in regular contact with your loved ones, and talking to people often.”

Number two: keep a routine – and take inspiration from the movies. “If you’ve ever seen About a Boy, where Hugh Grant talks about dividing his day into ‘pockets of time’, that’s exactly what I’m getting at. Find what makes you happy, develop your routine around that and stick to it. The minute you fall out of routine, the ‘never-ending’ mentality of the pandemic ensues, which will affect your mood and increase your anxiety. Keep on track as much as you can.”

Paul also advises turning the news off once in a while. “You do not have to watch it every day,” he says. “The beauty of the internet is that you can pick when you want to sit down and find information. You don’t have to feel bombarded by the six o’clock news every night. You should always feel able to switch off.”

If you do find yourself struggling, remember that you are not alone. Samaritans are available 24 hours a day, and there are resources available online to inform and comfort. As Paul says, the one positive of entering lockdown again is that we know what to expect. “One of the most important things when facing any challenge is awareness – we understand these restrictions now, this isn’t a rude awakening. Try and focus on the positives; research and new developments are happening all the time and we understand this virus better than ever before. We can better prepare and better approach Covid-19 than we could at the beginning of this year, which is positive.”

Your checklist for spotting misinformation online

If you want to be better equipped for spotting false or inaccurate medical information online, Paul has plenty of tips to start with.

On websites