False or misleading information in some of YouTube’s most popular COVID-19 videos has had more than 62 million views. There is some mysterious magic behind what makes information take root on the internet, and it apparently has nothing to do with accuracy.
A study that BMJ Global Health recently published has found that 1 in 4 of the most viewed YouTube videos discussing SARS-CoV-2 contain misleading or inaccurate information. The dissemination of inaccurate or deliberately misleading information continues to hamper the containment of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. While plenty of good information about the novel coronavirus is available on YouTube, nonfactual or misleading videos seem to be just as appealing to online audiences.