Evaluation of Covid-19 Vaccine Sentiment on TikTok from 2020 to 2022

Abstract

Purpose: The unprecedented spread of misinformation during the COVID-19 pandemic was largely driven by social media platforms. Public understanding of masking, viral transmission, treatment options for COVID, and vaccination were distorted by the influence of social media platforms. The pandemic saw a rise of TikTok, another social media platform, whose role in the dissemination of misinformation has been far less studied. The relatively new social medial platform boasts millions of monthly U.S. users, with a large portion of those users being impressionable children, teens, and young adults. Given its popularity, its role in the spread of misinformation is likely substantial. The purpose of this study is to assess the quantity of COVID misinformation on TikTok in the period of 2020 to 2022, looking specifically at the number of anti- and pro-vaccine videos appearing on the platform. By assessing the impact severity of the anti-vaccine content on TikTok, this study will be able to inform future public health efforts of these effects, with the goal of curtailing the spread of medical misinformation. Methods: Videos were collected from the app by the research team retrospectively using four sets of search terms that appear frequently in pro and anti-vaccine related content. Researchers judged the videos as anti- or pro-vaccine while recording metrics on the videos such as likes and bookmarks. A total of 284 videos were selected for analysis. Comparisons were made between likes and the other metrics using p-values for significance. Results: 109 anti- and 175 pro-vaccine videos were identified. A larger share of the data set was pro vaccine. There was no significant difference between the number of likes between anti- and pro-vaccine content. Conclusion: This study took a novel approach to TikTok by examining videos using multiple search terms over the course of a three-year period. The lack of statistical significance in number of likes between anti- and pro-vaccine content, despite there being more pro-vaccine videos is indicative of pervasive misinformation is on TikTok. Ambivalence over medical facts is not reassuring for any public health effort. Our analysis found a larger share of misinformation than previous studies, providing further evidence that a supra-dominant positive narrative on social media platforms is difficult to achieve, even though this is critical for health care initiatives.