Fake Science: an analysis of videos released about the pandemic

Abstract

Fake news and misleading information on various subjects is not characteristic of nowadays, but the way in which this information is disseminated has changed in recent years. In addition to dissemination of information, it is also possible to see that the way messages are received has been different. In the latter case, studies point to what can be called the “Post-truth era”. In this broad context and complex environment, Fake News appears, and when it comes to science subjects, we can call it Fake Science, which is a topic of interest for proposal discussion for Informational and Media Literacy for schools. In this article we present the analysis and reflection on videos shared by WhatsApp application users, when the subject is COVID-19. The analysis of the videos leads us to the characterization of the messages and the establishment of indicators that can be used for classroom activities for Informational and Media Literacy.

Keywords

• fake news
• pseudociência
• letramento informacional e midiático
• vídeos
• pandemia