Addressing Antivaccine Sentiment on Public Social Media Forums Through Web-Based Conversations Based on Motivational Interviewing Techniques: Observational Study (Preprint)

Abstract

UNSTRUCTURED Research has shown that health misinformation in online social media spaces has real, negative health consequences. Despite a proliferation of research evaluating individual intervention tactics, usually in controlled experimental environments, there remains a dearth of field research testing interventions to address health misinformation in real-time, online, in situ on social media platforms. Here we describe the results of a pilot program of infodemiologists trained to intervene on anti-vaccine sentiment in Facebook comments sections of news article postings using various evidence-informed intervention techniques. Benchmarking our interventions to matched comments, we found that empathy-first communication strategies garner less engagement (defined as comments + emoji reactions) relative to matched controls. This work reinforces research on accuracy nudges and cyberbullying interventions that also reduce engagement. In addition to more research leveraging real-time interventions in real-world social media settings, more data transparency by technology platforms will be essential to finding effective counterspeech remedies to the problem of medical misinformation in digital environments.