LES MISÉRABLES: The Tale of COVID-19 and Role of Information
Department
Information Systems and Security
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-1-2021
Abstract
As researchers, scientists, and the general public strive to understand and manage COVID-19, many people search the internet for clues that might help them understand and react to the virus in an informed manner. Social media has become a primary source of news for many, but it can also be a hindrance in managing crisis situations due to the prevalence of fake news. This paper reports on a survey administered to social media users during the first wave of the pandemic to identify perceptions and areas of conflict that influenced society’s ability to understand and contain the pandemic. Applying conflict resolution theory to the survey results enabled us to identify major issues related to the management of COVID-19, from which we made recommendations for the roles that information systems research can play in handling future pandemics or other crises. The recommendations are divided into the two general categories of media trust and crisis containment.
Journal Title
Journal of Organizational Computing and Electronic Commerce
Journal ISSN
10919392
Volume
31
Issue
2
First Page
96
Last Page
113
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
10.1080/10919392.2021.1904093