Anti-masking Posts on Instagram: Content Analysis During the
COVID-19 Pandemic
Dublin Core
Title
Anti-masking Posts on Instagram: Content Analysis During the
COVID-19 Pandemic
COVID-19 Pandemic
Subject
COVID-19
Infodemic
Masks
Misinformation
Social media
Infodemic
Masks
Misinformation
Social media
Description
The SARS-CoV-2 viral outbreak has been conflicts with the past-tense narrative elsewhere
in the abstract.; the infodemic. Misinformation about the virus and disease it causes (COVID-19) has been
linked with authority-questioning beliefs, co-branding with conspiracies, and other misinformation
across social media. Distrust in simple occupational and public health tools we have at our disposal (like
well-fitting face masks) has proliferated. Despite attempts to curb the spread of untrue or misleading
information on COVID-19, this messaging persists on social media.
Methods: Using a clean and cleared account, the 300 top posts under the hashtag #masksdontwork were
collected on Instagram for thematic analysis over three weeks in June 2022, with three separate data
collection dates. Themes contained in the posts were independently assessed by two coders and discrepancies were resolved by consensus.
Results: The most dominant theme among posts was mistrust, including “government lies” and “media
lies.” Anti-masking rhetoric was the second most frequent theme, where “freedom” and “disbelief in
data” were common sub-themes.
Conclusion: Science denial and propaganda shared among Instagram users may represent an onramp to
consumption of broader conspiracy theories and government distrust, in addition to having negative
health effects and social consequences for workers regardless of whether they wear masks. Social media
algorithms promote similar misinformation or authority-questioning beliefs to users who view related
content. Addressing the spread of health-related misinformation can assist in deconstructing myths and
increasing trust in public health authorities and prevent the spread of communicable diseases among
workers and the public.
in the abstract.; the infodemic. Misinformation about the virus and disease it causes (COVID-19) has been
linked with authority-questioning beliefs, co-branding with conspiracies, and other misinformation
across social media. Distrust in simple occupational and public health tools we have at our disposal (like
well-fitting face masks) has proliferated. Despite attempts to curb the spread of untrue or misleading
information on COVID-19, this messaging persists on social media.
Methods: Using a clean and cleared account, the 300 top posts under the hashtag #masksdontwork were
collected on Instagram for thematic analysis over three weeks in June 2022, with three separate data
collection dates. Themes contained in the posts were independently assessed by two coders and discrepancies were resolved by consensus.
Results: The most dominant theme among posts was mistrust, including “government lies” and “media
lies.” Anti-masking rhetoric was the second most frequent theme, where “freedom” and “disbelief in
data” were common sub-themes.
Conclusion: Science denial and propaganda shared among Instagram users may represent an onramp to
consumption of broader conspiracy theories and government distrust, in addition to having negative
health effects and social consequences for workers regardless of whether they wear masks. Social media
algorithms promote similar misinformation or authority-questioning beliefs to users who view related
content. Addressing the spread of health-related misinformation can assist in deconstructing myths and
increasing trust in public health authorities and prevent the spread of communicable diseases among
workers and the public.
Creator
Emma K. Quinn 1,2,
*, Robert T. Duffy 1,2
, Kristian Larsen 3,4
, Maria Dalton 5
,
Cheryl E. Peters
*, Robert T. Duffy 1,2
, Kristian Larsen 3,4
, Maria Dalton 5
,
Cheryl E. Peters
Source
https://pdf.sciencedirectassets.com/287282/1-s2.0-S2093791125X00020/1-s2.0-S2093791124000817/main.pdf?X-Amz-Security-Token=IQoJb3JpZ2luX2VjEFYaCXVzLWVhc3QtMSJGMEQCIGTO%2Bm8R8D%2ByvvM7SVJpPSgtkfiq9X3cFnzLlWZoqwGfAiBxydQSLSJ9bdaF%2FFNNxn24RrCHYb8KjZ5DgzbZlsTU9SqyBQgeEAUaDDA1OTAwMzU0Njg2NSIMpeg6xphAY6gIXOjYKo8FuwCiAbmTzX1CjbvwqGC6%2BJzDeRrW9e0M7gKpUDnBF0KY1P4f%2BU0bSPLpM8PztRyHLQxDkuTpp%2FFr7v3Z%2FTId0ACY%2B%2FoVPxPbiSFh3ZPb%2BbJ5Dn2FCI%2BPRNosDG3ZCDDxTNXWPYSbgmWtTEgzza691susVM7Hs%2Bn%2F0wUUdHbwE1%2BpxOsI0NnhSgwzkvyNTaS9wozV0J3vuV9oXkWK1ZhGTsWxIxQu6oLV%2B9L5VoTK%2FfCe5kvjs2XWgUd8lBEc0XJqNMy1OEeyxPHXa7aIQpNahDaUWi%2Bd7Q%2FjQPslfktlHzWpsg64nr1sEbHiQaxFXQXoZo1z4qoIBrSX0JLqqSeUQ8QQVxDJn2CfHkHeNa9qhsWDurEC4nE1rRFgOVExTTB6gQDj1xkeNA4iiyLHVFFdO4JjX4RU2Sx8utGCqcAtfbI%2FIiXiQkhoiY0EX1TcF0vc1gM7cW4M%2BT7hCx0Fqyp5yxioS2f9gLWlL%2Bf3xiwRmRcPWBSpBoCNCjl1eQwXMJdvN3NUTSE0iWMXtpytyJJdaeG7GhvSJ13Q0TlJrUsS8kheb6grXKLGWM1oZWcLRGJdd4xt9Zes%2FQhhE3JQEJ65jW%2B8iquN%2BCjbQxTktNjsO3jCf1iB%2FLaRaVQ7mitOpZUPtgVKQkSzTqbw9vj9yjPaGbCR9Pa2CTdKoEWcmTNWbWcu3xUIKIhfJIMg%2BQeBYF3hhNpyq1ciMUOBNbSIdRcM%2F6FhWSrnYPUREskFihS3aPPbNntGzPnucfcGpgK%2FpOlnWjp936en3iO7HeZPNtnu1FuFVHDM6%2BTS%2BQFp79P%2Bc%2B2V%2BMNgYgFoKsC1KGEEvL757kzTBAUY%2F%2F1VGqgBzcKCv5L1OvTDCvMGwi6SJUXXAzCUqv%2FMBjqyAWL%2BEwjSVjHMaRCHSVMmiHyNqHCBu5GOrGNYxefIcYPWomcv6PzRov6FPVSQXa3wViTJjYxXjj5715sDnY%2F4TqVHYkm%2FjH9t2pgEiSADAIuA%2FZNzZ%2Fjlxr5VoSBBGz8XJsuzKhG0u6pqlu7E1vTJblk5cqTGQ576qrfLh03vku0Oe1m52UbHAempj5NeqBCrv8SavxAEGbAN2%2Be7ftpeiqKYqYGlb%2BePd4ATgfo7sDvS7Zw%3D&X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Date=20260226T060716Z&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&X-Amz-Expires=300&X-Amz-Credential=ASIAQ3PHCVTYVEOJET7X%2F20260226%2Fus-east-1%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Signature=4b4b49e16f1d7b5e41f5f6a44c390e6e1469f2efeb7a8e28b042965bf10b0f61&hash=01a99689a34087173f5d8739fe5363a61d9a3b35aff496518238869c43d013aa&host=68042c943591013ac2b2430a89b270f6af2c76d8dfd086a07176afe7c76c2c61&pii=S2093791124000817&tid=spdf-b35d292f-e136-467a-8c96-e543b25be38c&sid=830681cc5d60f646526bf61913cd5206d1e8gxrqb&type=client&tsoh=d3d3LnNjaWVuY2VkaXJlY3QuY29t&rh=d3d3LnNjaWVuY2VkaXJlY3QuY29t&ua=0b015e065406555504&rr=9d3d42ddcad73541&cc=id
Publisher
School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
2Department of Oncology, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
3Department of Geography and Planning, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
4Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto, ON, Canada
5Department of Community Health Science, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
6 British Columbia Centre for Disease Control, Vancouver, BC, Canada
7 BC Cancer, Vancouver, BC, Canada
2Department of Oncology, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
3Department of Geography and Planning, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
4Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto, ON, Canada
5Department of Community Health Science, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
6 British Columbia Centre for Disease Control, Vancouver, BC, Canada
7 BC Cancer, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Date
14 November 2024
Contributor
FAJAR BAGUS W
Format
PDF
Language
ENGLISH
Type
TEXT
Files
Citation
Emma K. Quinn 1,2,
*, Robert T. Duffy 1,2
, Kristian Larsen 3,4
, Maria Dalton 5
,
Cheryl E. Peters, “Anti-masking Posts on Instagram: Content Analysis During the
COVID-19 Pandemic,” Repository Horizon University Indonesia, accessed April 26, 2026, https://repository.horizon.ac.id/items/show/11850.
COVID-19 Pandemic,” Repository Horizon University Indonesia, accessed April 26, 2026, https://repository.horizon.ac.id/items/show/11850.