Ο ρόλος των ΜΜΕ στην ανάπτυξη του αντιεμβολιαστικού κινήματος και της παραπληροφόρησης κατά την πανδημία COVID-19

Abstract

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic is a global phenomenon to which state governments have been forced to take unprecedented action. According to the scientific community, the most effective way to return to normalcy is to vaccinate a large percentage of citizens. However, the short period of time in which the first types of vaccines were created creates an insecurity and reluctance towards vaccines, which, however, is evolving into a global phenomenon. Of course, vaccine-related misinformation on coronavirus, which poses a serious threat not only to public health but also to national security and the global economy, also plays a role. Objective: The purpose of this study is to investigate and clarify the risk of misinformation arising in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic vaccination. In addition, it carries out a development of the reasons that push the population to movements of distrust and challenge through a literature review in research studies that collect data on the anti-vaccination movement during the COVID-19 pandemic. This issue is a burning issue in everyday life and is of particular interest because it undermines the impact of media misinformation on disseminating false news and shaping views against public health and the well-being of the population, promoting panic and fear. Methods & Material: The material used for this study is a product of systematic review and critical evaluation of the most important published articles and studies in the international printed and electronic literature, as well as technical manuals and legislation by international governmental and non-governmental organizations regarding the risk of misinformation arising in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic vaccination. In order to approach the development of the anti-vaccination movement and its presentation through the media, as well as the risk posed by this issue for Public Health, the methodology of the systematic literature review was chosen, using the PRISMA analysis, studies of the international literature related to the issue. The search was conducted through the online academic research databases of Google Scholar, PubMed and Scopus, with the limitation that the studies have been carried out in the last 4 years. Results: Following the methodology of the PRISMA analysis and after the exclusion of some articles, the research ended up focusing on 11 articles that met the criteria of the research and which were included in the review. The results of the research showed that participants are not able to distinguish between true and false content of events and news posted and shared on social networks related to the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccination issues. In addition, the dissemination of information seems to be guided by the interaction that characterizes each social media as well as by the specific patterns of interaction of user groups dealing with the issue. However, although social media is recognized as a major source of misinformation regarding COVID-19 and vaccination issues, the same problem is found in the print media and a more rigorous evaluation of the information by their authors is recommended. Finally, when the use of the Internet poses risks to public health, governments should develop strategies for controlling health information on the Internet, but without censoring the population. Conclusions: In the present systematic literature review, misinformation is evaluated as an important factor in dealing with the pandemic. Accompanied by false information, the content of the media and social networking is hampering the efforts of the global community. Although the World Health Organization (WHO) and other stakeholders are aware of the misinformation and are trying to reduce it, myths and rumors are widespread. This review identifies the carriers of misinformation and its possible effects during the COVID-19 pandemic. Eleven research articles published from 2017 to 2020 were selected, the findings of which misinformation appears to be a strong risk factor and a significant obstacle to tackling the global health crisis. Myths and rumors through traditional and new platforms of news and social media cause xenophobia, human rights violations and psychological disorders in the population. Despite the efforts of the World Health Organization, much more is needed to neutralize the effects of misinformation. Improved global health care policies and strategies are therefore recommended to combat misinformation and mitigate the related effects of COVID-19. Key-words: Vaccine Movement, COVID-19 Legislation, Misinformation, Mass Media, Public Health, Fake News, Conspiracy Theories