An AIDS-Denialist Online Community on a Russian Social Networking Service: Patterns of Interactions With Newcomers and Rhetorical Strategies of Persuasion

Abstract

BackgroundThe rise of social media proved to be a fertile ground for the expansion of the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS)-denialist movement (in the form of online communities). While there is substantial literature devoted to disproving AIDS-denialist views, there is a lack of studies exploring AIDS-denialists online communities that interact with an external environment.ObjectiveWe explored three research areas: (1) reasons for newcomers to come to an AIDS-denialist community, (2) the patterns of interactions of the community with the newcomers, and (3) rhetorical strategies that denialists use for persuasion in the veracity of their views.MethodsWe studied the largest AIDS-denialist community on one of the most popular social networking services in Russia. We used netnography as a method for collecting data for qualitative analysis and observed the community for 9 months (at least 2-3 times a week). While doing netnography, we periodically downloaded community discussions. In total, we downloaded 4821 posts and comments for analysis. Grounded theory approach was used for data analysis.ResultsMost users came to the community for the following reasons: their stories did not fit the unitary picture of AIDS disease progression translated by popular medical discourse, health problems, concern about HIV-positive tests, and desire to dissuade community members from false AIDS beliefs. On the basis of strength in AIDS-denialist beliefs, we constructed a typology of the newcomers consisting of three ideal-typical groups: (1) convinced: those who already had become denialists before coming to the group, (2) doubters: those who were undecided about the truth of either human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) science theory or AIDS-denialist theory, and (3) orthodox: those who openly held HIV science views. Reception of a newcomer mainly depended on the newcomer’s belief status. Reception was very warm for the convinced, cold or slightly hostile for the doubters, and extremely hostile or derisive for the orthodox. We identified seven main rhetorical strategies of persuasion used by the denialists on the “undecided”.ConclusionsContrary to the widespread public health depiction of AIDS denialists as totally irrational, our study suggests that some of those who become AIDS denialists have sufficiently reasonable grounds to suspect that “something is wrong” with scientific theory, because their personal experience contradicts the unitary picture of AIDS disease progression. Odd and inexplicable practices of some AIDS centers only fuel these people’s suspicions. We can conclude that public health practitioners’ practices may play a role in generating AIDS-denialist sentiments. In interactions with the newcomers, the experienced community members highlighted the importance of personal autonomy and freedom of choice in decision making consistent with the consumerist ideology of health care. The study findings suggest that health care workers should change a one-size-fits-all mode of counseling for a more complex and patient...

Information creation on online drug forums: How drug use becomes moral on the margins of science

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Cultural models of normalcy and deviancy

“…Consider the sociological research on Russians who are active on acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS)‐denialist online communities. Some of the newcomers to these communities are people trying to make sense of their human immunodeficieny virus (HIV)‐positive status in light of the fact that their individual symptoms do not match the dominant script for HIV and AIDS (Meylakhs, Rykov, Koltsova, & Koltsov, 2014). The discrepancies sow doubt and trigger the search for alternative scripts, such as those promoted by AIDS‐denialists.…”

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“…O estudo revelou que três aspectos/dimensões são determinantes para a reverberação dos sentidos de "negacionismo da aids", quais sejam: a negação do diagnóstico, tendo em vista o bom estado de saúde do sujeito adoecido; a relutância em dar seguimento às terapias medicamentosas instituídas; e o aconselhamento considerado insatisfatório ou inadequado por parte dos profissionais de saúde que assistiam essas PVH (MEYLAKHS et al, 2014).…”

“…de sentimentos negacionistas da aids. Desse modo, sugerem que os profissionais de saúde estejam atentos às necessidades de cada sujeito em sua singularidade, em sua particularidade, ultrapassando o aconselhamento puramente protocolar que, por vezes, não reconhece a diversidade de cenários de progressão da doença e as incertezas científicas ante a situação (MEYLAKHS et al, 2014).…”