Living with COVID-19-triggered pseudoscience and conspiracies

Int J Public Health. 2020 Jul;65(6):713-714. doi: 10.1007/s00038-020-01412-4. Epub 2020 Jun 29.

Abstract

Objective: This piece of work proposes a way for the wise management of pseudoscience and conspiracy theories.

Methods: This work encompassed a review of relevant literature and synthesized the critical thoughts on the proper management of pseudoscience and conspiracy theories.

Result: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) overwhelmingly challenges the competency of the digital generation. Consequently, public had been left stranded, helpless and anxious, especially during the peak season of the pandemic. However, this crisis creates a conducive environment for pseudoscience and conspiracy theories to proliferate. Pseudoscience and conspiracy theories negatively impacted the effort made to contain COVID-19.

Conclusion: This piece of work, however, argues that although pseudoscience and conspiracy theories are real threats to conventional science, effort needs to be made to develop a sort of database to archive and curate them for downstream use.

Keywords: Curate; Downstream uses; Pseudoscience and conspiracy theories database.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • COVID-19
  • Coronavirus Infections / epidemiology*
  • Humans
  • Pandemics*
  • Pneumonia, Viral / epidemiology*
  • Psychological Theory*
  • Science / standards*