  This study focuses on how scientifically-correct information is disseminated
through social media, and how misinformation can be corrected. We have
identified examples on Twitter where scientific terms that have been misused
have been rectified and replaced by scientifically-correct terms through the
interaction of users. The results show that the percentage of correct terms
("variant" or "COVID-19 variant") being used instead of the incorrect terms
("strain") on Twitter has already increased since the end of December 2020.
This was about a month before the release of an official statement by the
Japanese Association for Infectious Diseases regarding the correct terminology,
and the use of terms on social media was faster than it was in television. Some
Twitter users who quickly started using the correct term were more likely to
retweet messages sent by leading influencers on Twitter, rather than messages
sent by traditional media or portal sites. However, a few Twitter users
continued to use wrong terms even after March 2021, even though the use of the
correct terms was widespread. Further analysis of their tweets revealed that
they were quoting sources that differed from that of other users. This study
empirically verified that self-correction occurs even on Twitter, which is
often known as a "hotbed for spreading rumors." The results of this study also
suggest that influencers with expertise can influence the direction of public
opinion on social media and that the media that users usually cite can also
affect the possibility of behavioral changes.
