CO-INFORM

There is little doubt that the public is blessed with the abundance of information as well as myriads of services being made available through the Internet. Given the real-time nature of social media outlets it is not surprising that government agencies as well as non-governmental organisations use these means to ensure immediate awareness in cases of breaking events, such as natural disasters or terrorist attacks... However, along with valid information misinformation has been found to be transmitted in social media even during crisis and emergency situations. Misinformation is a common problem in all media, but is exacerbated in digital social media due to the speed and ease with which it can be spread: the social web enables people to spread information rapidly without confirmation of truth. Misinformation can be devastating to the smooth functioning of public order. One of the detrimental consequences of misinformation is when it devalues and delegitimises the message and voices..