“We have gotten to the point where we cannot be around each other because it is not a healthy environment.”

Aleksandra Miladinovic, 26, is a graduate student from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. She was an essential worker at Target when the COVID-19 pandemic began and has been affected by the spread of misinformation in relation to her uncle and aunt. She speaks with Sierra Radler about the struggles of her relationship with family members affected by misinformation.

Sierra Radler: Could you discuss your relationship with the person effected by misinformation?

Aleksandra Miladinovic: My relationship to this person is that he is my uncle. He was affected by covid misinformation and the pandemic and has since unfortunately passed away from covid.

Q: Could you talk about the types of misinformation your uncle was affected by and the types of misinformation he was spreading online?

A: Covid became prevalent and a pandemic while Donald Trump was in presidency so his misinformation as a leader to our country played a role in the information that my uncle and aunt consumed since they are heavily Republican. They both became very outspoken in their Republican ways but unfortunately, I did not have my uncle on social media but followed my aunt. They were both influenced by Donald Trump through misinformation being spread throughout Facebook and without any fact checking.

Q: How much influence would you say the Trump administration had on your family? Also, would you say it created a sense of identity for your uncle while creating a hold on the relationships around him?

A: In my opinion there are Republicans then there are Trump supporters, I don’t believe we can classify Trump supporters as Republicans because it turned into Donald Trump and his followers. Unfortunately, my aunt and uncle fell under that category where they became very influenced by Donald Trump in not believing in the vaccine, being against covid, and believing we should not get the vaccine. One of the most prevalent things in the beginning of covid everyone was made aware of was that if you had an underlying condition, you were more susceptible to catching the virus and it being a lot deadlier. My uncle suffered from cerebral palsy and multiple other health conditions but he nor my aunt did anything to protect themselves because they did not believe it was a real thing.

Q: Do you feel that your family dynamic has changed, or would you say a majority of your family members were affected by his viewpoints?

A: Honestly, I would say that this was one of the things I noticed that really separated our family and it’s really sad because my cousins and I have had multiple discussions outside of social media. Our family has divided political viewpoints between Republicans, Democrats, and Liberals and I would say that this divided my family a lot more than anticipated. The relationship that my family had with my aunt and uncle shifted from getting together for holidays and celebrating to now not celebrating together at all. Not everyone has to agree on the same things, but we have gotten to the point where we cannot be around each other because it is not a healthy environment.

Q: Are you aware of any other family members that have voiced their concerns or tried to go out of their way to create a discussion with your aunt and uncle to open up their viewpoints and how they feel about covid and the pandemic?

A: Yes, my cousin and I rallied together once after seeing that my aunt had commented on something that was not fact checked and wasn’t a real news source which led to an argument and her blocking us on social media. It had just gotten to the point of her being very rude, so we tried but nothing ever worked.

Q: Do you see any hope for a relationship with your aunt in the future? Also, do you think there is any way to open up a discussion with her to give her a new perspective in trying to mend the relationship considering that she lost her husband?

A: To be point blank, no. It was a disappointment and sad to watch my uncle to die from covid considering there were multiple other health conditions that could have taken his life but to know covid is what took him from us was upsetting to know it could have been prevented. I think it put a bigger strain on the relationship we have and considering she is my aunt through marriage we have not heard from her since my uncle has passed.

Q: If you could say one thing to a family divided by misinformation what would you say?

A: If I could say one thing, I would strongly suggest being open to having conversations and be willing to listen to the other side. Misinformation can cause unnecessary arguments and tension which could be fixed with a simple conversation.