“Down the Rabbit Hole” of Vaccine Misinformation on YouTube: Network Exposure Study

Abstract

Background Social media platforms such as YouTube are hotbeds for the spread of misinformation about vaccines. Objective The aim of this study was to explore how individuals are exposed to antivaccine misinformation on YouTube based on whether they start their viewing from a keyword-based search or from antivaccine seed videos. Methods Four networks of videos based on YouTube recommendations were collected in November 2019. Two search networks were created from provaccine and antivaccine keywords to resemble goal-oriented browsing . Two seed networks were constructed from conspiracy and antivaccine expert seed videos to resemble direct navigation . Video contents and network structures were analyzed using the network exposure model. Results Viewers are more likely to encounter antivaccine videos through direct navigation starting from an antivaccine video than through goal-oriented browsing. In the two seed networks, provaccine videos, antivaccine videos, and videos containing health misinformation were all found to be more likely to lead to more antivaccine videos. Conclusions YouTube has boosted the search rankings of provaccine videos to combat the influence of antivaccine information. However, when viewers are directed to antivaccine videos on YouTube from another site, the recommendation algorithm is still likely to expose them to additional antivaccine information.

Understanding Human Papillomavirus Vaccine Promotions and Hesitancy in Northern California Through Examining Public Facebook Pages and Groups

“…The major types of HPV vaccine misinformation include conspiracy theories, unsubstantiated claims, and risk of vaccine injury ( 20 ). In addition, technical infrastructures, including social media recommendation algorithms, interaction designs, and social network structures, can create and reinforce anti-vaccine communities ( 21 , 22 ), leading individuals to be more extreme in their misbeliefs.…”

Diseña 19 | Métodos visuales para imágenes en línea: recolección, circulación y co-creación con máquinas

“…One also needs to account for the variety of practices, the human and non-human actors engaging with images online, and the multiple functions that online visuals may have beyond their representational power. Considering the diversity of formats and uses, 'online images', as we term the object of study in the title of this issue, might seem a shallow oversimplification: YouTube videos, bingewatched through autoplay, drive users towards extremist news ecologies (Tuters, 2020) and misinformation (Tang et al, 2021); celebrities and influencers raise awareness on social issues in their Instagram posts (Niederer & Colombo, 2021), while a massive computer vision infrastructure constantly scans every bit of visual content shared on digital platforms (Paglen, 2016); Facebook reactions work as a shortcut for engagement ; memes, GIFs and emojis carry layer meanings, raising questions of interpretation (Highfield & Leaver, 2016); stock photography is recycled across multiple online sites (Aiello & Parry, 2019), while platform-specific affordances, catering to a variety of users' needs (Bucher & Helmond, 2018) allow for the rise of platforms' visual vernaculars (Niederer, 2018;Pearce et al, 2020). How to interface such a kaleidoscopic panorama?…”

COVID-19 vaccine perceptions: An observational study on Reddit

“…Information skeptical of vaccination may flow from a regulated and legitimate source to avenues centering on misinformation and distrust in science. Previous research indicated how antivaccine posts travel online, with users largely moving from one antivaccine post to another [49, 50]. Building on this work, we propose that individuals skeptical of vaccination may selectively highlight posts from legitimate online environments and then forward these posts in arenas aligned with vaccine-skeptic narratives, moving information that was previously under the purview of a more neutral, science-trusting audience to individuals skeptical of vaccination - perhaps providing opportunities to engage such individuals and reduce misinformation.…”

“…COVID-19 misinformation is present in mainstream environments and does not always get fact-checked [56] and Reddit is no different. Individuals with largely antivaccine beliefs seek out information that coheres with their views [49]. We build on this work and suggest that individuals skeptical of vaccination also look for information from venues that tend to have evidence-based discussion, but then may interpret such information in line with their views and moral foundations, later sharing such information in forums more skeptical of vaccination.…”