Fake news and infodemia at the time of Covid-19

Abstract

The essay has as its object fake news and excess of pieces of information with particular attention to the pandemic emergency we are currently living: COVID-19. After a careful consideration about what fake news actually are, the paper analyzes the pitfalls concerning the communication through virtual technologies, where social networks let the news reach the user only if they pass some requirements, in order to give the user a personalized experience of being informed. As a result, the profiling process traps the user in a cage, which is a paradox, because the internet it’s literally supposed to be without borders and barriers. The current crisis caused by the global pandemic has brought to light how dangerous disinformation and fake news are, how important it is to find possible remedies and why they have to be adjusted carefully. Among these, the author identifies a rating system of the main sources of information available online; the system is supposed to be entrusted to an impartial institution, that would have the function of fact-checking.