Mapping the misinformation landscape: an interdisciplinary review of false and misleading information on social media during crises

Abstract

False and misleading information on social media during broadscale societal crises, or so-called mega-crises, is a growing concern across academic fields. While previous studies have offered valuable insights, research remains fragmented. This interdisciplinary scoping review summarizes current knowledge by analysing 179 studies published between 2014 and 2024. The results show that studies span disciplines such as social sciences, computer science, and medicine. Prior research primarily relies on cross-sectional survey data to explore the spread and impact of false and misleading information at an individual level, with a dominant focus on the COVID-19 pandemic. Key takeaways include the need to test whether findings from the COVID-19 pandemic are transferable to other crisis types, apply more varied methodologies, such as panel studies and experiments, to establish causal relationships, and move beyond individual-level analyses to capture the role of social and structural factors in shaping the spread and effects of false and misleading information during crises.