A DESINFORMAÇÃO NA PANDEMIA DO EBOLA: UMA ANÁLISE DA REDE SOCIAL TWITTER EM SERRA LEOA

Abstract

The article aims to analyze the false news that circulated during the Ebola epidemic in Sierra Leone, considered one of the countries with the highest incidence of cases and deaths from the disease. The research intends to answer whether the contents that generated misinformation had impacts on the health of individuals, such as viral fake news, advertisements in Nigeria, in which text messages announced the Ebola salt solution that subtly demanded that citizens bathe and drink salt water to avoid contracting the virus. Consequently, two people died and 20 were hospitalized for excessive consumption of salt water (CHIMUANYA and AJIBOYE, 2016; NABABÁ, 2016). The study takes a look at the social network Twitter, from May to August 2014, looking for the main influencers, their sharing network and the possible spread of viral fake news, using Social Network Analysis (ARS) as a methodology. It identifies that the narrative that most circulated with Ebola disinformation content is related to an experimental drug, not recognized by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration). In this sense, the search for a cure for the disease was the item that most mobilized the main influencers of the network, during the first months of the disease.