Modularity of Online Social Networks and COVID-19 Misinformation Spreading in Russia: Combining Social Network Analysis and National Representative Survey.

Résumé

BACKGROUND: The outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 in 2019 was accompanied by a rise in the popularity of conspiracy theories. These theories often undermined vaccination efforts. There is evidence that the spread of misinformation about COVID-19 is associated with online social media use. Online social media enables network effects that influence the dissemination of information. It is important to distinguish between the effects of using social media and the network effects that occur within the platform.OBJECTIVE: This study aims to investigate the association between the modularity of online social networks and the spread of, as well as attitudes toward, information and misinformation about COVID-19.METHODS: This study used data from the social network structure of the online social media platform Vkontakte (VK) to construct an adjusted modularity index (fragmentation index) for 166 Russian towns. VK is a widely used Russian social media platform. The study combined town-level network indices with data from the poll "Research on COVID-19 in Russia's Regions" (RoCIRR), which included responses from 23,000 individuals. The study measured respondents' knowledge of both fake and true statements about COVID-19, as well as their attitudes toward these statements.RESULTS: A positive association was observed between town-level fragmentation and individuals' knowledge of fake statements, and a negative association with knowledge of true statements. There is a strong negative association between fragmentation and the average attitude toward true statements (P