Unknowingly is a false target of COVID-19 online

Dr. Michelle Rockwell lost her pregnancy in December and shared her heartache with 30,000 Instagram followers. A few weeks later she received the COVID-19 vaccine and posted about it as well.

By February, Rockwell had overcome his sorrow and finally began to experience moments of joy. But then, her horrifying thing, social media users began using her posts to spread the false claim that she had a miscarriage as a result of the shot.

“They told me horrible things, for example, how can I get the vaccine, I’m the one who kills the baby, I’m forever infertile, and I’ll never give birth again.” Rockwell, a 39-year-old family doctor, said. Doctor in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

She said the post surfaced her trauma and hurt her “at the core”, even though she knew that studies showed that the vaccine was safe for pregnant women.

From Texas movie prop gurus to New York professors, people across the country have been caught up in a mess of false information about their online postings and their identities being hijacked by vaccine opponents and others. I noticed that I was lying.

Lisa Fazio, a professor of psychology at Vanderbilt University who is studying how disinformation spreads, said that it was “an easy and cheap way to gain credibility”, so it was posted by others. Sharing photos out of context is a common tactic for disinformation playbooks.

However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, experts warn, false or misleading posts can mean the difference between whether someone is taking precautions or not.

“When the world is in turmoil, you’re trying to figure out the truth. A common suggestion is to listen to experts,” says Fazio. “If there are people who impersonate those experts or grab their credibility, it can cause a lot of havoc.”

Scott Reader, a movie and television prop master in Austin, Texas, who frequently shares jokes and movie industry secrets with one million TikTok followers, features retractable stunt knives, syringes, and ice picks. I posted a short video in September showing how it’s used in the set. ..

In December, he learned that a clip of the footage was being abused on Facebook and Twitter. Someone isolated part of the video of pushing a spring-loaded syringe into his arm and falsely claimed that foreign politicians were using the device to forge the COVID-19 vaccine.

Reeder was able to curb falsity by publishing a second video outlining the misinformation with the help of TikTok’s followers who guaranteed him. But it upsets him that his post was used to promote a conspiracy theory that he knew was wrong.

“I’m just trying to make people laugh with information about my dad’s jokes and my props,” the leader said. “But people just try to inhale you or use your content to push their agenda.”

Robert Oswald, a professor of molecular medicine at Cornell University, didn’t post anything on social media when he learned that his name was used in a viral post. Coronavirus It was a “fictitious thing”.

A fake statement claimed that Oswald conducted an investigation that discovered that COVID-19 was “just another flu strain.” Some posts included his professional photo and office address.

“I was told that there was some kind of lab in California. It said I was a virologist. None of that is true,” Oswald said. “Obviously, I was pretty scared of all that.”

Oswald, who hasn’t studied viruses at work, denied posting on professional web pages and responded with truth to each message he received, but some refused to believe.

Strong or dramatic claims can be particularly difficult to counter.

“A professor at Cornell University who warns about COVID, it’s boring. The same professor says that COVID is hoax, interesting, and guarantees traffic,” said a psychiatrist at Stanford University’s Psychology and Technology. Dr. Elias Abjaude, who is studying the intersection, said.

Dr. Nicole Baldwin, a Cincinnati pediatrician, vaccine In January 2020, she was exposed to a harassment message, a phone call to the office, a one-star review of the work, and a photo meme, and falsely claimed to be “drugging” an autistic child. Said.

She is currently providing support by phone and email to anyone who finds herself in her position, including Rockwell.

“I look back on that time in January, because in fact I reached myself with gratitude,” Baldwin said. “But during that time I was there in January, I certainly didn’t say,’Yes, this is awesome.’ So I’m trying to help others. “