What role have experts played in the information overload surrounding Covid-19 that has been observed in recent months?
Reputation Science – the joint venture between Community and Reputation Manager, Italy’s leading firm in reputation analysis and management – has carried out an analysis of statements made by virologists, doctors and experts regarding Covid-19 that appeared online between 1 February and 20 November 2020, in order to answer this question.
The main findings of the analysis revealed not only an extremely significant volume of content produced by experts, but also a two-fold inconsistency in the statements made. Not only did many experts change their approach over the course of several months, but there was also, in general, a marked divergence of opinion regarding the severity of the pandemic and the stringency of the containment measures; this may have made the high volumes of recorded content even more challenging for members of the public to navigate from an information perspective.
