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Report: Limited presence of conspiratorial content during Covid-19

In the Danish context, the impact and presence of conspiratorial content have been limited throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. This is the conclusion in a newly published white paper from Roskilde University.
Published by:
  • DATAPUBLICS - Transforming Journalism and Audiences in the age of datafication (Research Project)
  • AlterPublics - Alternative Media and Ideological Counterpublics (Research Project)
    • Models of the structure of SARS-CoV-2 with numbers behind
    The report has found that during the Covid-19 pandemic, fewer than 1 in 20 Danish language Facebook posts could be considered conspiratorial (Image: Dr StClaire/Pixabay).
    By: Tim Ramsland

    How much conspiratorial content can be found and how far does it spread?

    A new white paper from the joint efforts of the DataPublics and AlterPublics teams has analysed the evolution and circulation of Danish language conspiracy theories, non-conspiratorial misinformation, and anti-systemic criticism during the Covid-19 pandemic. The results indicate that the representation and spreading of conspiracy theories are limited.

    - With this white paper, we aim to qualify the debate on conspiracy theories during the pandemic. These theories are gaining attention throughout the world. However, ,however by analysing the content and spreading in detail, we show that they might not be as prevalent in Denmark as assumed, associate professor Mette Bengtsson from the DataPublics project says.

    The white paper consists of three different, but interrelated studies. The focus is primarily on public content on Facebook as it is the most widely used social media platform in Denmark, thus representing those online spaces where conspiracy theories can reach the largest Danish audience. However, in part two the researchers also analyse how posts spread to other platforms and networks.

    - Our results show that even though the amount of outright conspiratorial posts is very low overall, just a single misinforming or conspiratorial post can potentially have substantial impact and reach, if it is picked up by mainstream media, says associate professor Eva Mayerhöffer from the AlterPublics project.

    The argumentative traits

    The first study examines argumentative traits of selected Danish language Facebook posts to better understand the characteristics of conspiratorial rhetoric.

    The team found that the argumentation is neither very strong nor deliberative. Also, the content is characterised by highly emotional and pathos-oriented rhetoric that frequently features implicit statements of how one should fear the future.

    The path of misinformation and conspiracy

    The second study maps out central actors and spaces responsible for spreading misleading, false, or conspiratorial information on Facebook and other platforms.

    It finds that corona-critical Facebook groups and alternative news pages are central actors in the online dissemination of content flagged as misleading. However, actors sharing conspiratorial content generally have a considerably lower impact than actors sharing other kinds of misinformation.

    The amount of conspiratorial content

    The third study examines the overall amount of Danish language conspiratorial content during the pandemic by investigating posts from three Danish Covid-19 critical Facebook groups.

    The study finds that the quantity of conspiratorial content in the selected Facebook groups was highest in the beginning of the pandemic. However, overall fewer than 1 in 20 Facebook posts were categorised as conspiratorial.

    The white paper is published by the Centre for News Research at Roskilde University and supported financially by Illum Fondet. It will be presented at a conference on misinformation and conspiracy theories hosted by the Danish fact check media TjekDet on November 15, 2021.