Theorizing COVID-19 information retrieving from a culture-centered lens: Communication infrastructures for challenging disinformation

ABSTRACT Underpinned by the notion that communication equality is crucial in developing communication infrastructures for health and well-being, this study explores experiences of COVID-19 information retrieving in a low-income suburban area in Aotearoa from a culture-centered lens. Drawing from in-depth interviews with ethnic minority residents, we reveal two polarizing experiences: at one end, residents were confident in the government’s representation of COVID-19 but also fearful and anxious, while at the other end, residents were skeptical of formal institutions and expressed alternative views about COVID-19. The findings illuminate how community distrust is intertwined with communication inequality, which can further entrench and magnify health inequality, informing key recommendations for culturally centering pandemic communications and creating infrastructures to challenge disinformation.