Coronavirus: an “Info-demic” amidst misinformation and malinformation

To deal with disease, fear, panic, and uncertainty during a pandemic, it is imperative to ensure that the information provided to people is accurate. Sometimes, however, how this information is delivered is even more important. A pandemic not only creates a public health and economic crisis but also generatesseverecommlunication crisis and misinformation. In response to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in Bangladesh, several government and non-government organisations have been providing various types of information in various ways through various forms of print and electroinic media. To understand whether or not this information is effectively reaching different segments of society, we conducted a rapid anthropological study. How are people making sense of the Coronavirus-related information that they are receiving from the media and other sources? How are they interpreting and complying with the instructions? Are the information/messages developed in consideration of the socio-economic and cultural diversity of this huge population? These were the questions that we sought to answer in the study.

Anthropology primarily relies on qualitative research and explores the stories behind the numbers. Knowledge in this discipline is produced by intensively interviewing and observing a specially selected small group of people. Given the existing lockdown situation, it was nearly impossible for us to conduct direct interviews or carry on field observations. As a result, data had to be collected in other recognised alternative ways. In this study, we conducted in depth interviews through telephone, did a Netnography, which is a method of observing online behaviour and performed shadow observation methods. We conducted in-depth interviews with 82 men and women in villages, district towns, and Dhaka, from lower- and middle-class backgrounds and engaged with diverse occupations. The study was conducted in collaboration with the Brac Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD), Brac University.

In light of the current situation, we see that people are really confused about certain words and phrases, such as “stay at home,” “social distancing,” “quarantine,” and “lockdown.” Take the English term “stay at home,” for example, which is being used to tell everyone to stay at home. But our study shows that the word "home" means different things to different groups of people. In villages, for instance, home is not just a single house, but a collection several families living in houses in close proximity. For example, Sarkar Bari in a village does not refer to a single house, but a combination of houses. Most of the people in the village said that lockdown to them meant restricting their mobility and activities to the neighbourhood or para. This definition of a lockdown stems from the notion that a single neighbourhood is their unit of territory, just as a moholla is the unit of territory to the people in district towns.

The concept of “home” is even more complicated in slums of the city. This is because a single corridor is home to eight to ten different families, with shared kitchen and bathroom. This is somewhat an inseparable unit. Only to the middle-class people in Dhaka “staying at home” means staying in their flats. Apparently, the term “stay at home” is understood differently in different places and by people in different socio-economic backgrounds. And it is quite natural that different understandings will result in different behaviours.

Similarly, the idea of “social distancing” generates different types of receptions. “Social distancing” is a rather unrealistic idea for slum-dwellers; who said that when eight to ten people live in a house and eight to ten families share a single kitchen and a toilet, it is hard to understand how to maintain a “social distance” of 3 meters from each others. Moreover, many people in the village and district town said that it is rather rude to maintain social distance with acquaintances. As a result, in many cases, they cannot or do not want to practice social distancing. The middle-class in Dhaka sees maintaining social distance as a “suffocating experience.”

Again, the concept of “quarantine” is also ambiguous to most people.

At this point, we can see that the terminology used internationally to deal with the pandemic can produce very different meanings in the local context. Observations have shown that many people consider the “social distancing” guidelines to be just an imperative by the government and do not accept or understand how the risk of contracting the Coronavirus is related to these guidelines. Our observations have also shown that people are avoiding these instructions in various subversive ways. Since these guidelines and instructions are failing to convey the message, the gravity of the situation and the risks involved are not well understood by the people.

Most people also have doubts and confusion about the rules of “hand-washing.” In view of the pandemic, people have increased their frequency of hand-washing as a necessary precaution and have also increased the use of soap while washing hands. As seen in the countryside, soap is tied with tube-wells in innovative ways. No one, however, is aware of the proper hand-washing method. Many people have misinterpreted the instructions to wash hands for 20 seconds in various ways. Some said that the government has asked them to wash their hands for 20 minutes, while others said that they have been asked to wash their hands 20 times a day. Moreover, the communication message about handwashing is very much urban biased, where almost all the visual demonstrations in the media are showing tap-water to teach handwashing to a population of which only 15% have access to tap-water.

The enemy is microscopic. But people are only used to fighting visible enemies. As a result, how a germ—that cannot be seen with the naked eye—has been presented graphically through various means is also creating different meanings. It is not surprising that rural people do not have the concept of microscopic organisms. As we saw in a YouTube video, when an elderly villager was asked what the Coronavirus was, he replied that it was a ball-like spiky thing—as he had seen on television —that came flying towards people, hit and killed them. Not everyone can be expected to have the ability to symbolically translate the large graphic of Coronavirus microscopic images that are constantly shown on TV. But we may not have thought about it at all when we created these communication messages!

Masks should be worn—this important guideline, too, is seen as just another government instruction. And many are symbolically following this instruction by hanging the mask on either side of the ear or placing it under the chin. This behaviour is partly due to the global confusion about the use of masks. Some countries have made using masks mandatory, while others have not taken the use of masks seriously. This international confusion has reached Bangladesh by spreading through the media. Many have said that since world leaders themselves cannot agree on the use of masks, they do not see the benefits of using them.

Masking is also a performative ritual, a status symbol. We have seen relatively wealthy people use N-95 masks. We have also seen, those who cannot getN-95 masks, but belong to the same class, are refraining from wearing one altogher, fearing that their social status would be tarnished. Moreover, the use of masks is considered by many to be inappropriate . Many people find it rude to talk to elders or customers wearing masks. Consequently, what happens is even more ridiculous—people wear masks when they are alone! And whenever they face an elder or a client or friend, they take off their mask as an act of civil gesture. This is counterproductive and involves severe health risks. We have also received information that criminal activities have started to increase in various places, taking the advantage of the opportunity of covering the face with a mask.

No one among our respondents has a clear idea of what to do if they contract the Coronavirus. This is true everywhere regardless of whether they are dwelling in a village, town, city, or slum. Many have mentioned the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) telephone numbers, but they have also said that they are more interested in talking to people they know at health centres or medical facilities than talking to anyone on the telephone. Besides, finding telephone lines constantly busy is a terrifying experience for anxious people.Many said that they failed or had trouble calling the IEDCR numbers. People in villages and district towns said that if they contract the virus, they will go to the pharmacies or to doctors they know. Others talked about going to the district hospital or medical college. Middle-class people in Dhaka said that they would consult a doctor they are acquainted with. In general, there is a deep uncertainty and confusion in everyone about the Coronavirus treatment.

We are also noticing that a large amount of contradictory information is being circulated on different news media. This excessive amount of information, often confusing and ambiguous, which has made the problem more difficult, is known as “info-demic.” TV channels often unnecessarily dramatise and sensationalise their presentation. One TV channel even circulated a ridiculous plan of a so-called scientist to tackle this virus as its lead news. Social media, on the other hand, are overflownwith Coronavirus-centric rumours and claims of discovering the cure for COVID-19. Religious leaders have also weighed in to spread various contradictory statements on social media.

Overall, we have noticed widespread confusion about the pandemic among different people. In many cases, generic guidelines developed in the western countries have been unicritically transferred to our country without considering the local geographical, economical, and cultural context. We think that it is very important to clearly define the concepts of “staying at home,” “social distancing,” “quarantine,” “lockdown,” etc. in line with the lifestyle of the target population. We have seen that the information sources vary across region, class, age, and educational level. Which is why, information should be purposively and separately designed for villagers, townspeople, slum-dwellers, and urban middle-class and distributed to them through proper communication channels.

Television is a very important medium of communication in this time of crisis. It, therefore, needs to be careful about giving contradictory or redundant information. There is also a need for building confidence in people by promoting the positive news and initiatives that are taking place in the country. We have noticed widespread uncertainty among almost all classes of people about what will happen if they get infected with the Coronavirus. Clear instructions about what people can do in this regard should be widely circulated in forms, e.g. flowcharts, that people can easily understand. Otherwise, misinformation will leave people more helpless and panicked, as we already have seen in various cases.

Acknowledgements: Mehnaz Rabbani, Farooq Hossain, Tanvir Shatil, Kamruzzaman, Sajia Sharmin, Dipanwita Ghosh, Samia Saeed, and all other research collaborators and informants

* Shahaduz Zaman: Author and public health researcher, zaman567@yahoo.com

* Sumon Rahman: Author and media studies researcher, sumon.rahman@ulab.edu.bd

* Imran Matin: Development researcher, imran.matin@brac.ac.uk