There's an old line about a lie being able to spread around the world while the truth is still getting its boots on; it looks like misinformation has upped the ante in the age of Twitter. There's been a ton of talk on Twitter about Swine Flu, much of it ill informed. Foreign Policy writes:

First of all, I should point out from the very outset that anyone trying to make sense of how Twitter's "global brain" has reacted to the prospect of the swine flu pandemic is likely to get disappointed. The "swine flu" meme has so far that misinformed and panicking people armed with a platform to broadcast their fears are likely to produce only more fear, misinformation and panic.

The problem is the utter lack of context driven by the requirement to stay within 140 characters. If you limit your view to your trust network, then it's probably ok. If you trawl through the global hashtag memes, not so much...

Technorati Tags: social media, twitter, misinformation