Infodemia y desinformación en facebook durante el covid - 19, causas y efectos, caso pensionistas y jubilados de Pasaje.

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has been an unprecedented global event that has affected all aspects of daily life, including the way information is consumed and shared. Infodemia, an excess of information, including erroneous, misleading or malicious information, has been a major problem during this time, leading to a massive spread of fake news, affecting all age groups, but older adults are particularly vulnerable due to their unfamiliarity with technology and their willingness to believe information that appears to come from trusted sources. In addition, many older adults rely on online information as their primary source of news and information due to the pandemic that has limited their ability to interact socially. It is in this way that Facebook is chosen as the social network to analyze said phenomenon and its affectation on older adults, since according to Rentería (2022) who conducted his research on the Analysis of the diffusion of the 2.0 environment in older adults of the san borja cultural center, states that "The social network most used by the target audience is Facebook, but it is easier for them to learn to use Twitter" (p. 15). According to the Pew Research Center (2014), mentions that "In 2014 revealed that not only the majority of adults with an online presence are Facebook users (71%), but that the presence of adults over 65 years old has grown considerably in the last year compared to 2012". The aforementioned research project has set out the need to know the causes and effects that caused the infodemia in older adults, analyzing each of these aspects in the members of the Association of Retired and Pensioners of Pasaje. In order to achieve the objectives, data collection tools such as interviews with professionals such as clinical psychologists and communicators and surveys were used to understand the impact of this phenomenon on the aforementioned group. The results of the research show that many of the surveyed older adults experienced stress and anxiety due to misleading information and over-information on social networks. In addition, this group reported making health decisions based on inaccurate information they found online or specifically on the social network Facebook. The research project has also identified that people do not differentiate misleading or false information from that which is truthful and even believe that all the aforementioned social network content is true, however, some have also been able to recognize that this news had an influence on decision making during the pandemic. On the other hand, the problem is not only the lack of knowledge of this group to recognize when a news is false, it is also due to the decisions they make based on that information, during the pandemic, many older adults decided not to be vaccinated against COVID-19 because of fear, a feeling caused by the various news that abounded the social network Facebook. Healthcare professionals can educate patients on how to identify and evaluate online information, as well as provide accurate and reliable resources and materials. In conclusion, infodemia has had a significant impact on older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to a massive dissemination of misinformation and misleading information through the various existing social networks. It is important to recognize the challenges facing older adults in the digital age, where developments continue to occur more frequently and it is an obligation of every citizen to prioritize care for this priority group, i.e., measures must be taken to reduce the impact of fake news and over-information.