Old Frames on New Media: Health Misinformation in Black Digital Communities
type: CreativeWork
description: Growing evidence suggests that health misinformation has the potential to proliferate on social media. However, our understanding of the problem’s magnitude continues to evolve. Despite several studies on health misinformation and Black communities in the United States (U.S.), few of these studies characterize misinformation within digital settings. This dissertation seeks to address this gap by: 1) synthesizing the literature on health misinformation and Black communities to identify prevalent misinformation topics and claims, characteristics of exposure to and belief in these topics and claims, and successful intervention strategies; 2) quantifying and characterizing the volume of COVID-19 misinformation on Black Twitter during the initial weeks of the pandemic; and (3) advancing our understanding of the network of accounts that shared COVID-19 misinformation on Black Twitter during the initial weeks of the pandemic. Regarding the first aim, a scoping review provides important context for Aims 2 and 3. It suggests that misinformation beliefs in Black communities are common and consistently themed across vastly different health topics (e.g., HIV/AIDS, COVID-19, and reproductive health), misinformation topics (e.g., origins, transmission, treatment), and over time, suggesting deeply entrenched frames of government and medical mistrust. Furthermore, the results of this review demonstrate that specific subgroups may be more susceptible to misinformation than their counterparts, suggesting the importance of tailoring interventions to specific audiences. However, among the gaps identified by this scoping review, few studies examine Black communities in digital settings, despite several studies referencing social media as a source of misinformation. Regarding the second and third aims, a case study extends existing research by characterizing discourse about COVID-19 on Black Twitter, one of many U.S.-centric Black digital communities, during the initial weeks of the pand…
abstract: Growing evidence suggests that health misinformation has the potential to proliferate on social media. However, our understanding of the problem’s magnitude continues to evolve. Despite several studies on health misinformation and Black communities in the United States (U.S.), few of these studies characterize misinformation within digital settings. This dissertation seeks to address this gap by: 1) synthesizing the literature on health misinformation and Black communities to identify prevalent misinformation topics and claims, characteristics of exposure to and belief in these topics and claims, and successful intervention strategies; 2) quantifying and characterizing the volume of COVID-19 misinformation on Black Twitter during the initial weeks of the pandemic; and (3) advancing our understanding of the network of accounts that shared COVID-19 misinformation on Black Twitter during the initial weeks of the pandemic. Regarding the first aim, a scoping review provides important context for Aims 2 and 3. It suggests that misinformation beliefs in Black communities are common and consistently themed across vastly different health topics (e.g., HIV/AIDS, COVID-19, and reproductive health), misinformation topics (e.g., origins, transmission, treatment), and over time, suggesting deeply entrenched frames of government and medical mistrust. Furthermore, the results of this review demonstrate that specific subgroups may be more susceptible to misinformation than their counterparts, suggesting the importance of tailoring interventions to specific audiences. However, among the gaps identified by this scoping review, few studies examine Black communities in digital settings, despite several studies referencing social media as a source of misinformation. Regarding the second and third aims, a case study extends existing research by characterizing discourse about COVID-19 on Black Twitter, one of many U.S.-centric Black digital communities, during the initial weeks of the pand…
author: Croston, Merriah
language: English (en)
keywords: Black communities;Black Twitter;Health communication;Health misinformation;Social media;Social network analysis, Health Communication, Public Health, Social Work
date published: 2025-09-01T07:00:00Z
date modified: 2026-07-24T06:12:08Z
provider: Washington University in St. Louis
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: Washington University in St. Louis

PropertyValue
property ID: DOI
value: 10.7936/zn3e-cw56