Coronavirus infodemic in Southeast Asia
A web report on panic buying and misinformation
The Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS)-Yusof Ishak Institute
Partner:
The Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS)-Yusof Ishak InstituteProject type:
Data story
Scope:
Data visualisationDesign
Development
Illustrations
How and where does COVID-19 misinformation spread in Southeast Asia? ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute investigates the topic with data gathered from social media, which Kontinentalist supported with a combination of static and interactive data visualisations, creating a useful web report for its users.
About the project
Under the Media, Technology and Society series of the Regional, Social and Cultural Studies Programme, ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute wanted to produce a data-driven web report on how COVID-19 pandemic has brought about a wave of misinformation and disinformation in Southeast Asia. The research explored detailed social media habits, and how the spread of misinformation led to panic-buying behaviours, undermining public health advice.
The challenge
Integrating interactivity with research
ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute needed a scrolling web report, hosted on its website, that integrates interactive and static data visualisations with research written by its researchers. The story’s visualisations needed to show the volume and spread of COVID-19-related misinformation in Southeast Asian countries, based on data gathered from social media platforms.
Our creative solution
We created three static and three interactive data visualisations on the magnitude and spread of COVID-19-related misinformation in Southeast Asia, by showing the effects it has on panic buying in the region. The visualisations were tailored to the data at several stages through prototyping, dummy data testing, design tweaks, and early clarification of data parameters. Responsible for both the product’s design and development, we implemented a cohesive colour scheme, formatting, and flow for the final interactive web report.
ISEAS’s target audience mostly involves policymakers and other researchers, so we tailored our design aesthetic to them and included a PDF version of the report, so that the institute can send it out at academic conferences and other events.
Our partners
The Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS)-Yusof Ishak Institute is a regional research centre that focuses on the study of sociopolitical, security, and economic trends and developments in the Southeast Asia region, alongside its wider geostrategic and economic environment.
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