Addressing the root of vaccine hesitancy during the COVID-19 pandemic

Koltai, Kolina; Moran, Rachel E.; Grasso, Izzi

doi:10.1145/3495259

Cited by 6 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 4 publications

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“…Vaccine-opposed activists 1 use social networking platforms to share anti-vaccine content and misinformation (Koltai et al, 2022; Yang et al, 2021). Although vaccine-related misinformation far predates the COVID-19 pandemic (Shelby & Ernst, 2003), the current global urgency surrounding combating vaccine misinformation is unprecedented.…”

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confidence: 99%

Folk Theories of Avoiding Content Moderation: How Vaccine-Opposed Influencers Amplify Vaccine Opposition on Instagram

Moran

Grasso

Koltai

2022

Social Media + Society

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This study analyzes how vaccine-opposed users on Instagram share anti-vaccine content despite facing growing moderation attempts by the platform. Through a thematic analysis of Instagram content (in-feed and ephemeral “stories”) of a sample of vaccine-opposed Instagram users, we explore the observable tactics deployed by vaccine-opposed users in their attempts to avoid content moderation and amplify anti-vaccination content. Tactics range from lexical variations to encode vaccine-related keywords, to the creative use of Instagram features and affordances. The emergence of such tactics exists as a type of “folk theorization”—the cultivation of non-professional knowledge of how visibility on the platform works. Findings highlight the complications of content moderation as a route to minimizing misinformation, the consequences of algorithmic opacity and knowledge-building within problematic online communities.

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confidence: 99%

Folk Theories of Avoiding Content Moderation: How Vaccine-Opposed Influencers Amplify Vaccine Opposition on Instagram

Moran

Grasso

Koltai

2022

Social Media + Society

Self Cite

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Cognitive Cascades within Media Ecosystems: Simulating Fragmentation, Selective Exposure and Media Tactics to Investigate Polarization

Rabb

Cowen

2023

Complex Networks and Their Applications XI

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Navigating Information-Seeking in Conspiratorial Waters: Anti-Trafficking Advocacy and Education Post QAnon

Moran

Prochaska

Grasso

et al. 2023

Proc. ACM Hum.-Comput. Interact.

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Individuals seeking out information about human-trafficking and anti-trafficking efforts are increasingly turning to social media as an informational source. However, a lack of traditional informational gatekeeping online has allowed for the rapid proliferation of misinformation via social media. This has been clearly evidenced within the realm of human trafficking by the spread of conspiracy theories instigated by the QAnon-led campaign #SaveTheChildren. Through in-depth interviews with members of the public and professionals involved in anti-trafficking activism we explore how individuals find trustworthy information about human trafficking in light of the public spread of misinformation. Our findings highlight the centrality of distrust as a driving force behind information-seeking on social media. Further, we highlight the tensions that arise from using social media as a primary resource within anti-trafficking education and the limitations of interventions to slow the spread of trafficking-related misinformation. This work provides contextual knowledge for researchers looking to better understand the real-world impacts of misinformation and looking to design better interventions into digital information disorder.

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Addressing the root of vaccine hesitancy during the COVID-19 pandemic

Cited by 6 publications

References 4 publications

Folk Theories of Avoiding Content Moderation: How Vaccine-Opposed Influencers Amplify Vaccine Opposition on Instagram

Folk Theories of Avoiding Content Moderation: How Vaccine-Opposed Influencers Amplify Vaccine Opposition on Instagram

Cognitive Cascades within Media Ecosystems: Simulating Fragmentation, Selective Exposure and Media Tactics to Investigate Polarization

Navigating Information-Seeking in Conspiratorial Waters: Anti-Trafficking Advocacy and Education Post QAnon

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