Scientific disinformation in times of epistemic crisis: circulation of conspiracy theories in social media platforms
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.4013/fem.2020.221.03Abstract
The spread of disinformation about science in social media has been a major concern worldwide, especially at a time of crisis in which all institutions that produce knowledge and truth, including science, are delegitimized or discredited by society. Given this, the purpose of this research is to map the circulation of information on the most frequent conspiracy theories in Brazil, seeking to identify actors, discourses and interactions on different digital platforms. Using a mixed methodology for identifying informational flows among supporters of conspiracy theories on Facebook, Whatsapp and YouTube, the results show that, even though there is distrust about the relationship between science, government and industry, scientific authority is a symbolic capital of extreme importance for the circulation of information on conspiracy theories related to science.
Keywords: Conspiracy theories. Science. Social media Platforms.
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