False Narratives, Real Consequences

Authors

Russell W. Cantrell, University of South AlabamaFollow
Matt Campbell, University of South AlabamaFollow

Files

Description

Social media is an increasingly significant tool in modern cyber warfare, capable of rapidly shaping public opinion. The swift dissemination of information complicates efforts to distinguish fact from fiction [1]. During public health crises, healthcare professionals use these platforms to share updates, yet their credible content must contend with false or deliberately misleading narratives [2]. This environment creates an opportunity for cyberattacks through social media influence campaigns [3]. While disinformation's role in political interference has been widely studied, its potential to destabilize healthcare remains largely unexplored. Prior research primarily focuses on how vaccine misinformation affects the general public [4]. This study instead proposes an investigation into the mechanisms, impacts, and broader consequences of disinformation as a method of cyberattack targeting healthcare professionals. Utilizing a three-paper dissertation model, this research will assess disinformation at multiple levels. The first study will analyze social media narratives from the COVID-19 pandemic using natural language processing and sentiment analysis to identify coordinated disinformation campaigns. The second will examine how exposure to misleading health narratives influences nurses’ perceptions, professional judgment, and susceptibility to burnout. The third will simulate a large-scale disinformation attack on a hospital system, modeling its potential to disrupt trust and operational stability. Drawing from prior disinformation campaigns, particularly those during U.S. elections [5][6][7], this study explores whether similar tactics have been or could be used against healthcare. The findings will contribute to cybersecurity, health informatics, and public health preparedness by identifying vulnerabilities that would help safeguard healthcare infrastructure from future information warfare threats. REFERENCES

[1] Hussain, M., & Soomro, T. R. (2023). Social Media: An Exploratory Study of Information, Misinformation, Disinformation, and Malinformation. Applied Computer Systems, 28(1), 13–20. [2] Di Domenico, G., Nunan, D., & Pitardi, V. (2022). Marketplaces of Misinformation: A Study of How Vaccine Misinformation Is Legitimized on Social Media. Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, 41(4), 319–335.

Publication Date

3-2025

Department

Information Systems & Technology

City

Mobile

Disciplines

COVID-19 | Cybersecurity | Health Information Technology | Health Services Research | Information Security | Other Computer Sciences | Other Medicine and Health Sciences | Other Public Health

Recommended Citation

Cantrell, Russell W. and Campbell, Matt, "False Narratives, Real Consequences" (2025). Shelby Hall Graduate Research Forum Posters. 29.
https://jagworks.southalabama.edu/southalabama-shgrf-posters/29