The colour of misinformation

Abstract

How can colour contribute to the spread of misinformation? When doctors designed a Covid-19 vaccine, both medical organisations and conspiracy organisations designed and disseminated visualisations meant to inform information seekers. While information visualisations effectively conveyed correct health information, misinformation visualisations conversely conveyed incorrect health information. Anti-vaccine misinformation presents a unique danger: if eligible people choose not to receive a vaccine, they are not only harming themselves but slowing herd immunity. One major element of information visualisations, colour, conveys both explicit and implicit messages. Specifically, when used in information visualisations, colour may contribute to the credibility of the information presented. Identifying the colours used in misinformation visualisations will allow information seekers to discern between which visualisations contain information and which contain misinformation. This will curtail the spread of and belief in misinformation.