Covid 19 coronavirus: Harmful TikTok NZ lockdown prediction falls brief

New Zealand

08/10/2021 07:00

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Covid-19 Response Minister on unvaccinated Tauranga dock workers exposed to crew members on board the Rio de la Plata container ship. Video / Mark Mitchell

A self-proclaimed “mystic” may have been wrong in predicting a Covid lockdown in New Zealand, and experts say his antics are very harmful to society.

The prediction, posted on popular video sharing app TikTok, said New Zealand would be banned on August 10th after community cases surfaced on the 8th or 9th.

The schedule fits in with the government’s pledges to deal with every Delta outbreak, which gives the claims an air of credibility.

Covid

The would-be prophet, who calls himself Mystic W, garnered over 1.3 million followers for his predictions.

He claimed that visions came to him in dreams and urged his followers to suspend their disbelief by the specified date.

When news broke Monday of the 11 confirmed cases aboard the container ship Rio De La Plata, social media was flooded with those who viewed the news as evidence that Mystic W was right.

Giulio Dalla Riva, who heads the Data with Relations research group at Canterbury University, told the Herald, conspiracy theorists and those who make wild, unsubstantiated predictions are harmful and distract from the real problem, a global pandemic.

In response to the “mystic” wrong prediction, he said, “It is easy to make a correct prediction. All you have to do is make a lot of predictions and then at some point you will make a correct prediction.

“The danger is that people will only remember the predictions that these people get right, not the ones that they are wrong about.

“These people think that they are changing the world and dealing with very important issues, but they are not. Unfortunately, they are unable to concentrate.

“They create distractions and people get confused. It is not easy for anyone to understand who is reliable and who is not. It is quite easy to fall for.

“All of these conspiracies are harmful as they detract from the real problems. In the end, we talk more about conspiracy theories than profound structural problems within society.

“People get upset by their claims [in their search for truth] and it promotes polarization. Often they can hijack social discussion points for political or monetary gain. “

The mystic was wrong, but what damage was done?  Photo / fileThe mystic was wrong, but what damage was done? Photo / file

Dalla Riva says while exposing conspiracies is important, the academic community needs to be proactive with the information it shares rather than making efforts to put out bogus information fires.

He told the Herald he believed the government was doing a good job sharing reliable data.

“[Conspiracy theorists’] Information can [muddy the waters] and society has a hard time working out the truth. On the whole, it can come across as relatable and clear even if the message is completely wrong.

“We need the academic community to take responsibility. The role of exposure is sometimes crucial, but we can’t just spend our time chasing conspiracy theorists and misinformation. We have to be proactive to improve the quality of our publications.

“The government is doing a very good job of being reliable and transparent with its information. However, we can always get better when we have more accessible data. However, it is also extremely important that we are critical and call out when we make mistakes.

“The problem with the TikTok video is that it distracts from the main problem and instead points a finger [rather than looking for solutions]. We are facing a major challenge in the face of the Covid response. It is therefore important to be critical of misinformation, but to respond with an accurate representation of reality. “

Wrong beliefs

A poll earlier this year found that half of Kiwis believe in some form of Covid-related misinformation, and nearly 20 percent have at least three false beliefs.

The findings were published in a report by Te Mana Whakaatu, the government’s classification bureau, by examining the viral misinformation landscape in Aotearoa.

A poll of 2,301 people between February and March this year found that 82 percent were concerned about the spread of misinformation in New Zealand and 90 percent believed it was affecting people’s views on public health.

More than 80 percent believed that misinformation is becoming more common, as almost 60 percent said they had experienced misinformation in the last six months, and 21 percent noticed it on a daily or weekly basis.

The report also estimates that half of all Kiwis hold at least one misinformation-related belief, with up to 19 percent of respondents holding three or more such beliefs.

Massey University Senior Lecturer Dr. Jagadish Thaker, wasn’t surprised that half of the Kiwis believed in some form of misinformation, saying that even those who are aware of the risk may be vulnerable.

“This suggests a double-edged sword of confidence in identifying misinformation – we choose to believe in information that is consistent with our previous beliefs and discard other information as being misleading.”

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