Friends get vaccinated: The power of social media groups in the COVID-19 vaccination campaign

Abstract

In times of crisis the power of social media is reflected in its ability to influence social behavior and act quickly without bureaucratic mechanisms. During the Israeli COVID-19 vaccination campaign, social media groups were formed to collect, verify, and disseminate information about leftover vaccine doses. Masses of people quickly joined these groups, rushed to the vaccine locations, and shared real-time information with other group members. Based on 15 semi-structured interviews with group members and admins, we identified three motives for creating groups: making information accessible, the struggle against vaccine opponents, and a desire to return to life as it was before the pandemic. Rapid group joining has been described in terms of collective behavior and contagion theory.

Enhancing publics’ COVID-19 vaccine advocacy on social media: the role of dialogic government communication

“…Given that social media allows transparency and social conversations around public health, it emerges as an easy and attractive tool for advocates to generate and distribute vaccine-advocative information. Therefore, using social media to share positive and persuasive information about the vaccine has become a way of normalizing vaccination (Manor & Israeli, 2021). In addition, as individuals' anecdotes and personal messages about vaccines are perceived as credible (Betsch et al, 2010), vaccine advocacy exhibited by individuals may also play a role in combatting misinformation about the vaccine on social media, which helps acceptance of vaccine among publics.…”