DOT Talks Webinar Series | Tackling the ‘Infodemic’ during the COVID-19 Pandemic | Padmakumar M M

Our common enemy is COVID-19, but our enemy is also an “infodemic” of misinformation…” – Antonio Guterres, the UN Secretary-General (via Twitter). In India, where our society rests on a tumultuous balance of communal harmony and dissent, an infodemic of misinformation can and has wreaked havoc during the COVID-19 period. From people misinterpreting facts and maliciously spreading communal hatred, to actively participating in the dissemination of unverified and sensationalized news content and information, we have been lashed by waves of constructed truths. The speaker dives deeper into this issue and critiques this infodemic of misinformation prevalent during this Pandemic.

Padmakumar M M is the Head of the Department of Media Studies at Christ (Deemed to be University), Bengaluru, and CIEFL, Hyderabad alumnus. Before joining Christ University in 2006, he worked with Deccan Chronicle. He has presented in, moderated, and organized several regional, national, and international seminars, conferences, and symposiums. In 2018, he participated in the MPI Annual Peacebuilding Training programme organised by the Mindanao Peacebuilding Institute Foundation, Inc., in the Philipines. He has been published in prestigious dailies like Deccan Herald and The Hindu. His interests include Culture Studies, Ecological Discourses, Sports Studies, Tamil Cinema, and Peace Studies.