infodemic

English

Pronunciation

  • Rhymes: -ɛmɪk

Etymology 1

Blend of information +‎ epidemic. Coined by American writer and foreign policy strategist David Rothkopf in 2003 in the context of the 2002–2004 SARS outbreak, see quotations.

Noun

infodemic (plural infodemics)

  1. (informal) An excessive amount of information concerning a problem such that the solution is made more difficult.
    • 2003 May 11, David J. Rothkopf, “When the Buzz Bites Back”, in Washington Post‎[1], archived from the original on 15 April 2020:
      […] What is more, the information epidemic—or "infodemic"—has made the public health crisis harder to control and contain. What exactly do I mean by the "infodemic"? A few facts, mixed with fear, speculation and rumor, amplified and relayed swiftly worldwide by modern information technologies, have affected national and international economies, politics and even security in ways that are utterly disproportionate with the root realities. […]
  2. (informal) A wide and rapid spread of misinformation.
    • 2025 June 21, Hannah Murphy, “The truth about Mark Zuckerberg's masculinist makeover”, in FT Weekend, Life & Arts, page 19:
      But his inclination to prioritise free speech over moderation would soon become a flashpoint with a White House trying to battle a so-called “infodemic” of online conspiracies about the disease and the vaccine.
Translations

Etymology 2

Adjective

infodemic (not comparable)

  1. Relating to infodemiology.
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