Abstract

CARPIO PEREZ, Amílcar. The hoaxes in times of influenza: the transmission of rumors on the internet during the epidemic in Mexico of 2009. Sig. his [online]. 2021, vol.23, n.45, pp.272-315.  Epub June 02, 2021. ISSN 1665-4420.

Hoaxes have spread in various societies throughout human history as evidenced by the research of historians: such as Marc Bloch, Georges Lefebvre or Arlette Farge, among others. Hoaxes are still present in todayʼs society, although what varies are the media and the spaces through which they circulate: for example, on the internet. As it is demonstrated in this writing the hoaxes maintain a series of elements that allow us to approach their study. The case of the hoaxes that circulated on the internet, specifically by email during the episode of the influenza epidemic in Mexico in 2009, will also be analyzed. Also, the text enters the debate on the analysis of documents generated on the internet as source of reflection for the historian.

Keywords : email; fear; recent history; Marc Bloch; epidemic.