Andrea received a WhatsApp audio message from her friend. It talked about a new, deadly virus with no cure and urged listeners to stock up on groceries and supplies. Wondering whether the message she received was true or not but very concerned about the urgency of the virus, Andrea shared it with several friends. Like Andrea, many people share information, sometimes out of a strong emotional response, and often do not know its origin and whether it is true. This contributes to the spread of misinformation. Social media is a powerful tool that spreads information: some of it may be misleading and some of it may be accurate. But how to tell the difference?

This panel brings together a health department representative, a social media expert, a clinician caring for migrant farmworkers and a community leader to discuss how misinformation easily spreads through communities and its impact health behavior, especially during a pandemic. We will also share resources to help the community evaluate social media in order to know whether the information is likely to be true and if they should share the information. We will also identify social platforms that may be useful for health centers, clinicians and community health workers to inform hard to reach groups.