infodemic

American  

[in-foh-dem-ik] / ˌɪn foʊˈdɛm ɪk /

noun

1. a massive amount of widely and rapidly circulating information about a particular crisis or controversial issue, consisting of a confusing combination of fact, falsehood, rumor, and opinion.

   The swine flu infodemic has sparked a national drama that puts our fantasies and fears on public display.

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Etymology

Origin of infodemic

First recorded in 2000–05; info ( def. ) + (epi)demic ( def. )

Example Sentences

The World Health Organization even labeled the crisis an "infodemic."

From Salon

Enough with the infodemic hand-wringing.

From Salon

Since COVID-19 first emerged more than three years ago, the World Health Organization has complained of an "infodemic" of misinformation and disinformation around the pandemic.

From Reuters

The spread of misinformation during the pandemic has been dubbed an infodemic by the World Health Organization.

From Salon

W.H.O. officials often refer to the contagion of misinformation that foments vaccine hesitancy as an “infodemic”: mountains of incorrect and sometimes flagrantly conspiratorial information about diseases that leads people to avoid lifesaving medical practices, like the vaccines used to fight them.

From New York Times