New research outlines steps to combat disinformation on social media, restore its credibility as public health tool

Social media is so often plagued by disinformation that it’s easy to overlook its positive effects. Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, when vaccine denialism and dangerous fallacies flooded platforms, millions of people around the world relied on those same channels for timely knowledge on the virus and how to avoid it. In fact, several research studies have shown regular social media users were better informed about the virus and more likely to follow public health guidelines.