Pierre-Héli Monot on "Infodemic: Knowledge, Virality, and the American Public"
Online Lecture Series “Pandemics in American History and Culture”
28.01.2021 16:15 – 17:45
Pierre-Héli Monot (LMU/Amerika-Institut) will present on "Infodemic: Knowledge, Virality, and the American Public."
In 2020, the World Health Organization not only declared a pandemic, it also declared an "infodemic." Disinformation about COVID-19 was said to "spread" among the public. The World Health Organization concluded that "information spreads like a virus" and that "immunizing the public against misinformation" was a priority. But is it true? Does information actually spread like pathogens? What do we mean when we say information "goes viral"? Are concepts such as "infodemic" helpful in the fight against misinformation, or are they counterproductive? Why do people believe in misinformation and conspiracy theories in the first place, and are they actually "infected" when they do? Do we really want to use biological metaphors when we deal with political opponents? This lecture gives a brief account of the rise of "infodemic" as a concept, argues that the term is either self-contradictory or ineffective, explains why we should discard it, and suggests what we should do instead.
This lecture series will put the current COVID-19 pandemic in historical perspective by looking at past outbreaks of such devastating diseases as the bubonic plague, cholera, polio, HIV/AIDS, and others. Faculty of the Amerika-Institut and guest speakers will scrutinize the public health system of the United States, the impact of and the debates surrounding the politics of vaccinations, the social and cultural significance of quarantines and the unequal distribution of pain and death.
Please note: this lecture class will be held online (via Zoom). Please click here to register for all or selected talks.
For more information on the lecture series, please click here.