Infodemic in the countries around the world after corona virus outbreak; Necessity of Media literacy and information literacy improvement for citizens

Simultaneously with the widespread outbreak of the Corona virus in late 2019, which swept the countries one after another, a wealth of true and false information pervaded the societies of these countries. The wave was so large that media experts used the term "infodemic" to refer to it. The ignorance of the exact function of the virus by experts, its rapid spread, and the high speed of dissemination of sometimes inaccurate information through social networks have caused confusion and anxiety among citizens in many countries. Meanwhile, reliable media of some countries, including Iran, tried to take over the news authority at the community level and, with measures, take the initiative at the media level against this information pandemic. But one of the reasons that this information pandemic spread so successfully in some cases was the poor media and information literacy of the citizens in the host communities. This vulnerability and its unforeseen consequences are a reminder of the undeniable need to increase information and media literacy as essential life skills of citizens in the present age. Therefore, in this study, after describing the phenomenon called "infodemic ", strengthening media literacy and information literacy will be mentioned as a vital solution against its dominance. It is also noted that media literacy requires a supplement called media authority, both of which should be on the agenda as a governance necessity.