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Dual Tragedy of an Infodemic in a Pandemic: Exploring the Ramifications of COVID-19 in Zimbabwe

Dual Tragedy of an Infodemic in a Pandemic: Exploring the Ramifications of COVID-19 in Zimbabwe

Copyright: © 2022 |Pages: 22
ISBN13: 9781799887133|ISBN10: 1799887138|ISBN13 Softcover: 9781799887140|EISBN13: 9781799887157
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-7998-8713-3.ch007
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MLA

Collence Takaingenhamo Chisita, et al. "Dual Tragedy of an Infodemic in a Pandemic: Exploring the Ramifications of COVID-19 in Zimbabwe." Library and Media Roles in Information Hygiene and Managing Information, IGI Global, 2022, pp.124-145. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-7998-8713-3.ch007

APA

C. Chisita, A. Rusero, N. Marutha, J. Chigwada, & O. Durodolu (2022). Dual Tragedy of an Infodemic in a Pandemic: Exploring the Ramifications of COVID-19 in Zimbabwe. IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-7998-8713-3.ch007

Chicago

Collence Takaingenhamo Chisita, et al. "Dual Tragedy of an Infodemic in a Pandemic: Exploring the Ramifications of COVID-19 in Zimbabwe." In Library and Media Roles in Information Hygiene and Managing Information. Hershey, PA: IGI Global, 2022. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-7998-8713-3.ch007

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Abstract

Whereas the world was riddled with the advent of novel coronavirus-2019 (COVID-19) towards the end of 2019, in Africa in general and Zimbabwe in particular, citizens were confronted with a dual tragedy of infodemic in form of policy inconsistency as well as misinformation. In the case of Zimbabwe, since the arrival of COVID-19, the situation has been characterised by with reckless pronouncements by government officials at the highest level of policy making as well as deliberate misinformation and falsification of information pertaining to COVID-19. In those circumstances, when (mis)information is peddled from the top, it becomes an infodemic far more compelling than the pandemic itself. This chapter unpacks the dual tragedy of infodemic in a pandemic through exploring the ramifications COVID-19 has had in Zimbabwe. In doing so, the chapter traces the arrival of COVID-19 in Zimbabwe, how it resulted in trivialization, as well as information misappropriation. The chapter conclusively argues that the infodemic is more damaging than grappling with a pandemic.

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