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.