Paper long abstract:

The paper aimed to analyze COVID-19 ‘Fakes’ on Social Media in Kazakhstan. The study researched coronavirus-related materials with the COVID-19 tag from the fact-checking resource Factcheck.kz.

For analysis, selected materials with the following verdicts: “Fake”, “Manipulation”, “False Information”, “Lies”, and “Half-Truth”. In total, analyzed 149 fact-check materials on the Factcheck. kz website, of which every third was selected for content analysis. 48 materials in total were included in the sample.

Key findings from research the major share of incorrect information during the coronavirus pandemic can be considered ‘fake’ – something completely fabricated or false in content, and, to a lesser extent, as ‘manipulation’ – a half-truth or conspiracy theory. Fakes involving conspiracies were popular on social media sites in Kazakhstan, with 26% of these including some variant of a conspiracy theory: rumors about disinfection by helicopters, 5G deployment, the idea that US laboratories allegedly created and patented the coronavirus; some of these fakes stated that 80% of humanity would die from the coronavirus. Most specific fakes in Kazakhstan involved self-treatment (advice and recipes for coronavirus prevention) or fabrications related to healthcare and politics: “Are they concealing the COVID-19 treatment protocol in Kazakhstan?”, a fake about a statement by the former Minister of Health (completely falsified).

Also, Facebook was the primary social media platform for disseminating disinformation in Kazakhstan. The research also touches on broader issues such as the state of development of the information sphere in Kazakhstan and the general absence of research-based knowledge on public opinion among internet users in the region.

Paper long abstract:

The paper an attempt to analyze the spread of COVID-19 “fakes” in Kyrgyzstan and to identify their main features. In this study analysis of fake materials outlined defining characteristics, similarities, and differences in comparison to other news materials, and format, channels, and platforms of distribution and distribution frequency. In addition, this analysis examined at what stage or stages these fakes were integrated into and became relevant in the region. The research methodology is a qualitative and quantitative content analysis of the coronavirus-related materials with the COVID-19 tag from the fact-checking resource Factcheck. kg (Kyrgyzstan), which was published from February 1 to October 31, 2020. The key findings showed that in Kyrgyzstan, most fakes revolved around treatment (26%) and healthcare (19%). They included ‘miraculous recipes’ against the coronavirus that had allegedly been published in Soviet newspapers, materials about an ‘asymptomatic strain of the coronavirus’ in Kyrgyzstan, and disinformation about the number of COVID-19 deaths in China and Uzbekistan. There was even a fake about the death of the Head of WHO.

One-fifth of the fakes (21%) treated government and country policies to discredit them or undermine stability. These fakes spread misinformation about quarantine policies in other countries (Sweden) and/or unrest and protests (mainly in Russia).

At the same time, the most popular fakes in Kyrgyzstan, and those most shared and discussed, were related to healthcare topics and the politics of other countries; most of these falls into the ‘international fakes’ category and spread falsehoods about disinfection by helicopters, WHO statements on the Russian vaccine, etc. The main feature of fakes in Kyrgyzstan is that they combine elements of truth (in this case, the video was authentic, though the horses were not being treated for Covid-19) with distorted interpretations. The posts about the WHO, in which almost all the statements were inaccurate or distorted, are also a vivid example.

Paper long abstract:

The research on the spread of COVID-19 related ‘fakes’ in Uzbekistan focuses on social, political and partly economic factors which determine the popularity of false information in social media, and the implications it may have to social life of people. The analysis of the distribution channels and users’ reactions showed that the key actors of the spread were the social media users which disseminated the fakes through messengers and closed social media groups. Despite the tightened legislation on the spread of fake news and availability of official channels of communication, the fake news were more popular among social media users than the information provided by the government agencies. Among the structural factors which predetermined the popularity of fakes in social media space in Uzbekistan are unpopular decisions by the government throughout the pandemic, low level of social protection and heavy consumption of foreign media content, mainly Russian. Practically in all fakes on political topics, the following techniques were used: articulation with pseudoscientific facts, loud inviting headlines hinting at the unfair government policy, a reference to the theory of conspiracy, etc. The deep spread of fakes had a spillover effect in social life and affected the personal perceptions of people. In particular, a few cases of harmful measures introduced by the government agencies, which were believed to have a preventive effect against COVID-19, demonstrate that the implications of fakes spread far beyond the virtual space. The absence of a comprehensive fact-checking platform and removed content are among the limitations of the research.

Paper long abstract:

The study «Fakes’ on Social Media in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan» is a part of a project “Development of New Media and Digital Journalism in Central Asia.” The study focused on COVID-19 'fakes' and has a goal of identifying peculiarities of 'fakes' as compared to other news reports, as well as their format and channels of dissemination. The second goal of the study is strengthening Central Asian media capacity to produce impartial, objective and gender-sensitive content through training-in-action of students and faculty of journalism. As the research on Tajikistan shows, most fakes were related to health care, prevention, treatment, self-treatment, including traditional and non-traditional medicine. Such focus is explained by the lack of official data and guidelines. As to the policy related information, fakes predominately covered mortality rates, measures adopted by the government and immigration. Most fakes are shared internationally and do not necessarily relate to a specific country. Vast majority of studied fakes are categorised as lies and manipulation disseminated via online media sources and social networks. On a more professional development level, participation of students and faculty in this study helped them to enhance their web-journalism skills.