大象传媒

Ever since the start of the pandemic, there has been disinformation online. It began with a flurry of messages alleging the army and tanks would take to the streets, and evolved into extreme and potentially dangerous conspiracy theories, such as the notion that 5G technology was linked to the pandemic or that face masks can make you ill. More recently, much of the conspiracy movement has focused more on vaccines, some theories alleging they are a global plot to microchip or deliberately harm us, make us infertile or change our DNA.

Marianna Spring, the 大象传媒's disinformation reporter, explains where the theories originate, the tactics of those who push them and why so many people accept them and "disregard the scientific narrative".

Photo: A demonstration against the existence of Covid, Madrid, December 2021 Credit: Getty Images