For those who remember the actor Woody Harrelson as the not-so-bright barman in the TV sitcom Cheers, it's a stretch to consider he might be regarded as well-informed on such complex topics as COVID-19 and 5G technology.
But when Woody retweets something, it seems, millions think it's worth retweeting again.
Such is the nature of misinformation perpetuated on social media.
In an online forum organised by the Centre for Responsible Technology, using research from the Digital Research Centre based out of the Queensland University of Technology, Woody's contribution on the 5G/COVID-19 confection were held up as one powerful method by which weird stories gather momentum around the globe.
The extraordinary fairytale that COVID-19 was linked to 5G technology achieved such a degree of belief among conspiracy theorists that in the UK, towers were set on fire because it was thought that the 5G electromagnetic radiation could affect immunity.
The COVID-19 pandemic has, according to the researchers, spawned a worldwide "info-demic", where life-saving facts and genuine expertise are often over-run by half-truths, lies and scams going on-line.
Researchers Axel Burns and Timothy Graham have used investigative software and datasets to study how these conspiracy theories gather momentum.
The study found that the conspiracies gain huge spikes when people with large social media followings grab the misinformation and give them prominence.
Professor Burns described celebrities as "super spreaders".
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"We need these people to think about what they are posting, what they are sharing and how they might be affecting or inflaming a situation by getting involved in topics that they may not understand particularly well," he said.
- For information on COVID-19, please go to the ACT Health website or the federal Health Department's website.
- You can also call the Coronavirus Health Information Line on 1800 020 080
- If you have serious symptoms, such as difficulty breathing, call Triple Zero (000)
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