The Anatomy of Conspiratorial Infodemic: Exploring Super-Spreaders in COVID-19 Discourse on Twitter

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

4-2026

Publisher

Springer

Source Publication

Quality & Quantity

Source ISSN

0003-5177

Original Item ID

DOI: 10.1007/s11135-025-02495-y

Abstract

Social media platforms are essential in informing the public during crises, yet unregulated content sharing also exacerbates the infodemic and fosters conspiracy theories. This study analyzes tweets collected over a nine-month period in 2020, focusing on the role of Bill Gates in the COVID-19 pandemic. By employing a mixed-methods approach, the study seeks to explore who the super-spreaders are, what they are posting, and whether they exhibit bot-like behavior. Specifically, this study identifies discussion topics using computational techniques and pinpoints hyperactive accounts involved in the distribution of conspiracy narratives. The study reviewed 260 super-spreaders who posted more than 50 tweets, totaling 29,757 tweets, which account for 9.5% of the total tweets over the nine-month period. Further analysis revealed that over 65% of these accounts had either been suspended by Twitter or no longer existed. At the content level, these super-spreaders posted highly emotional content, while longtail users shared content related to health risks concerning their personal welfare. Additional analysis revealed that many of these super-spreaders exhibited bot-like behaviors, displaying strong patterns of conspiratorial and ephemeral characteristics. This study sheds light on the role of super-spreaders in amplifying conspiracy theories during crises. Theoretical and practical implications were further discussed.

Comments

Quality & Quantity, Vol. 60 (April 2026): 5435-5456. DOI.

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