Abstract
This study aims to understand public discussions regarding COVID-19 vaccine on Parler, a newer social media platform that recently gained in popularity. Through analyzing a random sample (n = 400) of Parler posts using the hashtags #COVID19Vaccine and #NoCovidVaccine, we use the concept of echo chambers to understand users’ discussions through a text analytics approach. Thematic analysis reveals five key themes: reasons to refuse the COVID-19 vaccine (40%), side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine (28%), population control through the COVID-19 vaccine (23%), children getting vaccinated without parental consent (5%), and comparison of other health issues with COVID-19 (2%). Textual analysis shows that the most frequently used words in the corpus were: nocovidvaccine (348); vaccine (264); covid (184); covid19 (157); and vaccines (128). These findings suggest that users adopted different terms and hashtags to express their beliefs regarding the COVID-19 vaccine. Further, findings revealed that users used certain hashtags such as “echo” to encourage like-minded people to reinforce their existing beliefs on COVID-19 vaccine efficacy and vaccine acceptance. These findings have implications for public health communication in attempts to correct false narratives on social media platforms. Through widely sharing the scientific findings of COVID-19 vaccine-related studies can help individuals understand the COVID-19 vaccines efficacy accurately.
Highlights
Background and ContextAfter major media outlets in the United States such as CNN, Fox News, and CNBC, predicted that Joe Biden would win the 2020 presidential election on 7 November 2020, several right-wing media outlets started to spread claims that the election was rigged, and President Donald Trump should have won the 2020 U.S presidential election [1]
Our analysis revealed five major themes: (a) reasons to refuse the COVID-19 vaccine (40%), (b) side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine (28%), (c) population control through the COVID-19 vaccine (23%), (d) children getting vaccinated without parental consent (5%), and (e) comparison of the mortality of other diseases with that of COVID-19 (2%)
Our findings show that misinformation about the efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccine was prevalent on the platform and users disseminated these false claims using several hashtags
Summary
Background and ContextAfter major media outlets in the United States such as CNN, Fox News, and CNBC, predicted that Joe Biden would win the 2020 presidential election on 7 November 2020, several right-wing media outlets started to spread claims that the election was rigged, and President Donald Trump should have won the 2020 U.S presidential election [1]. Social media users who believe the election was rigged supported such claims through sharing misleading content about election results During this time, the United States was making preparations to being distributing the first of several COVID-19 vaccines after President Trump claimed the vaccine would be available before the election was decided [2]. Unlike other social media platforms, Parler branded itself as a “non-biased, free speech social-media platform.”. It noted the site does not include fact checkers [5] Unlike other social media platforms, Parler branded itself as a “non-biased, free speech social-media platform.” In particular, it noted the site does not include fact checkers [5]
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