Vaccine misinformation - topic-based content analysis on Facebook

Abstract

Abstract Background Even though vaccinations are referred to as one of the greatest achievements of modern medicine, they are constantly associated with the mood present in part of society denying their sense and effectiveness. The development of technology has moved discussions about vaccinations to the space of the internet. The study aims to analyze the arguments of vaccine-deniers of children use in social media. Methods All public comments from the leading Facebook page of opponents of vaccination on Facebook were collected, which were available there between 01/05/2019 and 31/07/2019. Then the comments were stored on a Google spreadsheet and analyzed quantitatively in terms of the content according to the modified method developed by Kata (Kata, 2010). Results 18685 comments were analyzed, of which 4042 contained content within the adopted criteria: 28.2% concerned conspiracy theories, 19.9% covered misinformation and based on unreliable premises, 14.0% related to the safety and effectiveness of vaccinations, 13.2% to non-compliance with civil rights, 10.9% own experience, 8.5% of morality, religion, and belief, and 5.4% of alternative medicine. There were also 1223 pro-vaccine comments, of which 15.2% were offensive, mocking or non-substantive. Conclusions A relatively large amount of content concentrated in terms of conspiracy theories and disinformation may indicate that this is a community characterized by a lack of trust in the scientific achievements of medicine. Surprisingly many comments related to one's own negative experiences with vaccinations, which contrasts with official statistics about side-effects. Vaccination promotion should refer to the arguments of vaccination opponents. Key messages The tendency of vaccine-hesitancy is strengthened by 'anti-vaccine' content in social media. To understand the individuals we need to understand what information he daily learns from the internet. It can be hard to maintain herd immunity, due to the prevailing misinformation on vaccination. To overcome this phenomenon, information campaigns must be dependent on the content in social media.