The anti‐vax phenomenon

Whitehead, Martin; Taylor, Niall; Gough, Alex; Chambers, Danny; Jessop, Mike; Hyde, Phil

doi:10.1136/vr.l4027

Cited by 9 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…For true antivaxxers, COVID-19 vaccine successes may be interpreted as attempts by Bill Gates to track the population through microchips, and thus news around vaccine successes may be interpreted in a misinformation framework, perhaps explaining the relationship between vaccine success and increased discussion around COVID-19 vaccine conspiracy theories. Similarly, when vaccine trials are halted, such news may cohere with antivaxxers, who may have no interest in engaging with news that possibly demonstrates the failure of medical science - given antivaxxers’ distrust of medical experts [ 62 ], perhaps explaining the reduced misinformation discussion. Thus, simply presenting scientific data to antivaxxers [ 60 ] may not be effective, as demonstrated in a study where presenting some antivaxxers with facts made them more antivaccine [ 63 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

COVID-19 vaccine perceptions in the initial phases of US vaccine roll-out: an observational study on reddit

et al. 2022

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Background Open online forums like Reddit provide an opportunity to quantitatively examine COVID-19 vaccine perceptions early in the vaccine timeline. We examine COVID-19 misinformation on Reddit following vaccine scientific announcements, in the initial phases of the vaccine timeline. Methods We collected all posts on Reddit (reddit.com) from January 1 2020 - December 14 2020 (n=266,840) that contained both COVID-19 and vaccine-related keywords. We used topic modeling to understand changes in word prevalence within topics after the release of vaccine trial data. Social network analysis was also conducted to determine the relationship between Reddit communities (subreddits) that shared COVID-19 vaccine posts, and the movement of posts between subreddits. Results There was an association between a Pfizer press release reporting 90% efficacy and increased discussion on vaccine misinformation. We observed an association between Johnson and Johnson temporarily halting its vaccine trials and reduced misinformation. We found that information skeptical of vaccination was first posted in a subreddit (r/Coronavirus) which favored accurate information and then reposted in subreddits associated with antivaccine beliefs and conspiracy theories (e.g. conspiracy, NoNewNormal). Conclusions Our findings can inform the development of interventions where individuals determine the accuracy of vaccine information, and communications campaigns to improve COVID-19 vaccine perceptions, early in the vaccine timeline. Such efforts can increase individual- and population-level awareness of accurate and scientifically sound information regarding vaccines and thereby improve attitudes about vaccines, especially in the early phases of vaccine roll-out. Further research is needed to understand how social media can contribute to COVID-19 vaccination services.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

COVID-19 vaccine perceptions in the initial phases of US vaccine roll-out: an observational study on reddit

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…For true antivaxxers, COVID-19 vaccine successes may be interpreted as attempts by Bill Gates to track the population through microchips, and thus news around vaccine successes may be interpreted in a misinformation framework, perhaps explaining the relationship between vaccine success and increased discussion around COVID-19 vaccine conspiracy theories. Similarly, when vaccine trials are halted, such news may cohere with antivaxxers, who may have no interest in engaging with news that possibly demonstrates the failure of medical science -given antivaxxers' distrust of medical experts [58], perhaps explaining the reduced misinformation discussion. Thus, simply presenting scientific data to antivaxxers [56] may not be effective, as demonstrated in a study where presenting some antivaxxers with facts made them more antivaccine [59].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

COVID-19 Vaccine Perceptions in the Initial Phases of US Vaccine Roll-out: An Observational Study on Reddit

Kumar

Corpus

Hans

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Background: Open online forums like Reddit provide an opportunity to quantitatively examine COVID-19 vaccine perceptions early in the vaccine timeline. We examine COVID-19 misinformation on Reddit following vaccine scientific announcements, in the initial phases of the vaccine timeline. Methods: We collected all posts on Reddit from January 1 2020 - December 14 2020 (n=266,840) that contained both COVID-19 and vaccine-related keywords. We used topic modeling to understand changes in word prevalence within topics after the release of vaccine trial data. Social network analysis was also conducted to determine the relationship between Reddit communities (subreddits) that shared COVID-19 vaccine posts, and the movement of posts between subreddits. Results: There was an association between a Pfizer press release reporting 90\% efficacy and increased discussion on vaccine misinformation. We observed an association between Johnson and Johnson temporarily halting its vaccine trials and reduced misinformation. We found that information skeptical of vaccination was first posted in a subreddit (r/Coronavirus) which favored accurate information and then reposted in subreddits associated with antivaccine beliefs and conspiracy theories (e.g. conspiracy, NoNewNormal). Conclusions: Our findings can inform the development of interventions where individuals determine the accuracy of vaccine information, and communications campaigns to improve COVID-19 vaccine perceptions, early in the vaccine timeline. Such efforts can increase individual- and population-level awareness of accurate and scientifically sound information regarding vaccines and thereby improve attitudes about vaccines, especially in the early phases of vaccine roll-out. Further research is needed to understand how social media can contribute to COVID-19 vaccination services.

show abstract

“…For true antivaxxers, COVID-19 vaccine successes may be interpreted as attempts by Bill Gates to track the population through microchips, and thus news around vaccine successes may be interpreted in a misinformation framework, perhaps explaining the relationship between vaccine success and increased discussion around COVID-19 vaccine conspiracy theories. Similarly, when vaccine trials are halted, such news may cohere with antivaxxers, who may have no interest in engaging with news that possibly demonstrates the failure of medical science - given antivaxxers’ distrust of medical experts [52], perhaps explaining the reduced misinformation discussion. Thus, simply presenting scientific data to antivaxxers [6] may not be effective, as demonstrated in a study where presenting some antivaxxers with facts made them more antivaccine [53].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

COVID-19 vaccine perceptions: An observational study on Reddit

Kumar

Corpus

Hans

et al. 2021

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Objectives: As COVID-19 vaccinations accelerate in many countries, narratives skeptical of vaccination have also spread through social media. Open online forums like Reddit provide an opportunity to quantitatively examine COVID-19 vaccine perceptions over time. We examine COVID-19 misinformation on Reddit following vaccine scientific announcements. Methods: We collected all posts on Reddit from January 1 2020 - December 14 2020 (n=266,840) that contained both COVID-19 and vaccine-related keywords. We used topic modeling to understand changes in word prevalence within topics after the release of vaccine trial data. Social network analysis was also conducted to determine the relationship between Reddit communities (subreddits) that shared COVID-19 vaccine posts, and the movement of posts between subreddits. Results: There was an association between a Pfizer press release reporting 90% efficacy and increased discussion on vaccine misinformation. We observed an association between Johnson and Johnson temporarily halting its vaccine trials and reduced misinformation. We found that information skeptical of vaccination was first posted in a subreddit (r/Coronavirus) which favored accurate information and then reposted in subreddits associated with antivaccine beliefs and conspiracy theories (e.g. conspiracy, LockdownSkepticism). Conclusions: Our findings can inform the development of interventions where individuals determine the accuracy of vaccine information, and communications campaigns to improve COVID-19 vaccine perceptions. Such efforts can increase individual- and population-level awareness of accurate and scientifically sound information regarding vaccines and thereby improve attitudes about vaccines. Further research is needed to understand how social media can contribute to COVID-19 vaccination services.

show abstract

The anti‐vax phenomenon

Cited by 9 publications

References 7 publications

COVID-19 vaccine perceptions in the initial phases of US vaccine roll-out: an observational study on reddit

COVID-19 vaccine perceptions in the initial phases of US vaccine roll-out: an observational study on reddit

COVID-19 Vaccine Perceptions in the Initial Phases of US Vaccine Roll-out: An Observational Study on Reddit

COVID-19 vaccine perceptions: An observational study on Reddit

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