Misleading, unverified and false information about the coronavirus has spread across social media platforms, with some accounts only a few days old reaching millions of views with a mix of fearmongering and racial stereotyping.
“Is it successful? Sure, in a sense you’re going to show up, but your content isn’t relevant,” said Tyler Farnsworth, founder and chief growth officer of August United, an influencer marketing agency. “You may be discovered but you wouldn’t be discovered in a way that, in our opinion, is ethical.”
On TikTok, where the “coronavirus” hashtag has spread rapidly, accounts that began posting in the last two weeks have accrued millions of views by creating content about the coronavirus that is either misleading or fake. “Our Community Guidelines do not permit misinformation that could cause harm to our community or the larger public. While we encourage our users to have respectful conversations about the subjects that matter to them, we remove deliberate attempts to deceive the public,” the spokesperson said.
Coronavirus has also become an opportunity for conspiracy movements that have had a harder time finding traction on TikTok to gain a foothold. The strategy of latching on to popular news items to go viral at any cost is a common practice among social media users chasing larger audiences, Farnsworth said.
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