As the world battles the coronavirus pandemic, it is also challenged by an information overload in the digital as well as physical environment, which can cause confusion and mistrust. Senior citizens, due to various technical and awareness constraints, are most vulnerable to this infodemic. In order to address this information gap, BOOM will partner with senior citizen forums, organizations, and associations across India to host free online workshops titled ‘Information Overload in times of COVID-19’ that are aimed to empower senior citizen participants to distinguish between news, opinion, propaganda, and analysis. BOOM has also launched five short film series that aims to build awareness around COVID-19 appropriate behavior, especially among senior citizens.
Led by H. R. Venkatesh, Director, Training and Research, BOOM Live, and a team of BOOM fact-checkers, the workshops will explain the concept of misinformation, disinformation, and unverified news, factors responsible for such news, and the nature of information overload.
