Information Pathways and Voids in Critical German Online Communities During the COVID-19 Vaccination Discourse: Cross-Platform and Mixed Methods Analysis
Mainstream information sources were part of the information mix within the analyzed critical Telegram communities. However, the role and prevalence of these sources varied. We argue that differences between platforms may indicate the existence of information voids, which pose a particular challenge in managing infodemics. These insights emphasize the importance of contextualized cross-platform analyses for understanding complex information pathways and their potential for targeted crisis communication.
Authors
- Anna-Maria Hartner (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8502-9915)
- Silvan Wehrli (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-3377-1890)
- Christopher Irrgang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8274-1678)
- T. Sonia Boender (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4418-3713)
- Bert Arnrich (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8380-7667)
Institutions
- Hasso Plattner Institute (DE)
- University of Potsdam (DE)
- Robert Koch Institute (DE)
- Netherlands Center for Occupational Diseases (NL)
- GGD Amsterdam (NL)
- Public Health Service of Amsterdam (NL)
- Amsterdam University Medical Centers (NL)
- Imperial College London (GB)
- Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (NL)
- University of Amsterdam (NL)
- Medical Research Council (GB)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Journal of Medical Internet Research
- Published
- 2025-10-17
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.2196/76309
- Primary Topic
- Misinformation and Its Impacts
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00