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Anti -vaccination profiles on Twitter tend to be more engaged in discussions and rely on a more coherent social network compared to their vaccination counterparts, according to new research published in PLOS One. The study also indicates that former President Donald Trump is one of the key nodes in the anti-vaccination network.
“The movement against the vaccine is currently on the rise and has gained momentum since vaccines have become the most important tool to solve the issues caused by the ongoing pandemic,” said lead author Federico Germani (@fedgermani) , a researcher at the Institute of Biomedical Ethics and History of Medicine at the University of Zurich and director of Culturico.
“As WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros pointed out last year, we are not just living through a pandemic, but an infodemic, caused by the uncontrollable spread of misinformation and conspiracy online about COVID-19 and vaccines.Since social media are the platforms where counter-vaccine supporters gather, we are interested in understanding the behavioral dynamics that govern the flow of anti-vaccine information on Twitter, which is expected to identify viable strategies to limit the circulation of misconceptions about vaccines.
In the study, which included approximately 150 Twitter users, researchers used the hashtag #vaccineswork to identify individuals who vaccinate on Twitter, while the hashtags #vaccineskill and #vaccinesharm were used to identify the individual counter-vaccination. A separate control group was identified by searching for hashtags generated by a random word generator. All profiles are manually recorded to ensure that users ’opinions reflect their given group.
Germani and her colleague, Nikola Biller-Andorno, found that the anti-vaccination group was the most active on Twitter, with 536 tweets, responses and retweets per month on average between September and December. 2020. In contrast, the control group had 277 tweets, replies and retweets per month on average and the pro-vaccination group had only 144 Twitter actions per month on average.
Pro-vaccination profiles were more likely to generate new content, but anti-vaccination profiles responded 13-times more than control and vaccine-prone profiles.
The anti-vaccination group also got the highest number of retweets per tweet, and shared more emotional content and conspiracy theories compared to other groups. There are also differences observed in the most commonly used words in tweets. The anti-vaccination group tends to use words like “President,” “God,” “People,” and “Masks,” while the anti-vaccination group tends to use words like “Help , “” Health, “” Thank You, “or” Research. “
“Our study suggests that polarization on social media is a big issue, as people exposed to various conspiracy theories tend to also be exposed to anti-vaccine discourse on Twitter (and vice versa). .Therefore we think social media giants should play an active role to prevent polarization, including the context of vaccines.In general, if people are exposed to different perspectives, they tend to do better to review sources of information and consider the possibility that they may be wrong, ”Germani told PsyPost.
By using Cytoscape software to analyze Twitter social networks, the researchers found that the anti-vaccination network was more coherent compared to the pro-vaccination network. The World Health Organization is the single major influence on the pro-vaccination network. But there are 14 major influencers in the anti-vaccination network.
“We show that the success of the online anti -vaccination movement is likely based on common beliefs and interests, where users have established a well -connected community and formed an echo room for the content generated. a handful of profiles. We have identified these end users as anti-vaccination influencers. We recognize former US President Donald Trump as the main influencer on the web against vaccination, “wrote researchers in their study.
Despite an unspoken anti-vaccination statement as president, Trump has published dozens of tweets linking autism vaccinations in the past, such as one in 2014 that read: Healthy children are goes to the doctor, bombarded a massive shot of many vaccines, does not feel well and changes AUTISM. There are many such cases! Research found that Americans who voted for Trump in 2016 were particularly prone to anti-vaccination behavior and these behaviors were exacerbated by his tweets.
“Besides Trump, we recognize his son Donald Trump Jr., Charlie Kirk, a prominent Christian evangelical and Republican activist who supported the Trumps presidency, James Wood, a popular actor and producer who was a strong also supporters of Trumpto who are among the biggest influences in the anti-vaccination network, ”Germani and his colleagues wrote.
The researchers hope their findings will help to combat misinformation on social media.
“The general public should be concerned about the increasing skepticism of the vaccine, as it could affect everyone’s life. Vaccine coverage is paramount, and especially now to overcome the social and economic issues imposed. us of COVID-19. Our study can help people understand how not to pray a discourse against the vaccine on Twitter, ”Germani told PsyPost.
“Our study suggested strategies to stop the ongoing anti-vaccine infodemic. These methods focused on reducing or blocking the circulation of misinformation against the vaccine. However, our study did not turn out highlight the long-term strategies needed to avoid the anti-vaccine discourse in order to find a fertile ground with the general public.For this reason, we plan to analyze which and which critical thinking skills will help people understand how to access information online, providing them with learning tools that help them spot scientific misinformation online. ”
The study, “The anti-vaccination infodemya on social media: A behavioral study”, published March 3, 2021.
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