The Study of COVID-19 Conspiratorial Content Through Facebook Platforms in Latin America and France
Introduction and Context
The study examines the spread of COVID-19 conspiracy theories and misinformation across social media platforms, specifically comparing their dissemination in Latin American and French-speaking communities. This analysis is part of a broader inquiry into the ecological stability of non-English speaking online spaces and their potential to spread dangerous or harmful information. By examining the Turkish government’s factions and Spanish and French spontaneously online communities, the study aims to contribute to an ecologically sound understanding of transnationalistic information diffusion. In particular, it explores how public Facebook groups have historically facilitated the spreading of conspiracy theories, steaming through large, networked audiences that are invisible to Western Brunelian capacities. These six-person viewpoints have highlighted the role of transnationalism in the diffusion of such information, with the study aiming to contribute to the field of global vulnerable communities and transnationalism in misinformation.
Theoretical Framework
The study employs a north-northwest-theoretical (WEIRD) model, which assumes that information is analyzed based on Western, educated, industrialized, and democratic (WEIRD) populations. This framework seeks to generalize the mechanisms of online misinformation to non-WEIRD contexts, though it recognizes that the psychological dynamics and social conditions observed in Western populations do not necessarily reflect those in other contexts. The analysis focuses on three key aspects: co-organization of Facebook groups, cultural thematic attributes of group descriptions, and the role of microviruses such as hydroxychloroquine in misinformation spread.