Analyzing The Fake News Narratives And The Influence Of Mediatization: A Content Analysis Of COVID-19 Facebook Posts In Germany

Abstract

Since the first use of the term fake news during the US presidential election in 2016, this phenomenon has evolved and its nature has become more complex. The content of fake news has developed and created their own chain, which almost has functioned as a whole in all countries of the world. Manipulations and malicious agendas that operate under the guise of fake news take on huge proportions with the intensification of the COVID-19 pandemic. These contents were characterized by fake news conspiratorial narratives which stimulated news chaos, and not only that, they caused the violation of the information ecosystem all over the world.  This research study is centered on the examination of fabricated news narratives, primarily within a European nation, specifically Germany, and the facilitating influence of mediatization. The study specifically scrutinizes the conspiratorial attributes inherent in false news narratives that were circulated throughout the three most critical months of the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe, as outlined by the World Health Organization, namely October, November, and December 2020. In order to investigate and examine fake news narratives and their contents with conspiratorial characteristics, this research study engaged with Qualitative Content Analysis as its framework. This study is particularly guided by the framework established by Michael Barkun and Jesse Walker, which offers a comprehensive approach to examining content imbued with conspiratorial attributes. Additionally, the analysis involves the utilization of NVivo 12 Plus software to investigate the terminological instances employed in the construction of fake news narratives. The results showed that the conspiracy nature was evident during the analysis of the fake news narrative which described that powerful groups and elites were behind the COVID-19 pandemic in order to achieve their malicious plans. Moreover, conspiracy beliefs such as vaccines as bioweapon, population extermination, New World Order, 5G, microchips etc., were very evident during the analysis of fake news narratives which were disseminated during the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak. As a conclusion, the study highlights the evolution and the impact of complex fake news phenomenon, particularly within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, emphasizing their conspiratorial attributes and disruptive effects on the information ecosystem in Germany.