An infodemic refers to a situation where there is an excessive amount of information circulating during a disease outbreak, making it challenging for people to identify reliable and accurate information. It’s a blend of facts, fear, conjecture, and rumors that are magnified by modern technology[2], such as social media[1] and the internet[3]. The World Health Organization (WHO) uses this term to describe the overwhelming information during health crises. Infodemiology, a related term, is a field of study that examines health information and misinformation, including false or misleading information during disease outbreaks. The term infodemic gained popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the critical role it plays in pandemics. It is important to manage infodemics to protect democracies, human rights, and public health.
An infodemic is a rapid and far-reaching spread of both accurate and inaccurate information about certain issues. The word is a portmanteau or information and epidemic and is used as a metaphor to describe how misinformation and disinformation can spread like a virus from person to person and affect people like a disease. This term, originally coined in 2003 by David Rothkopf, rose to prominence in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.