1887

Science and Politics in the Polio Vaccination Debate on Facebook: A Mixed-Methods Approach to Public Engagement in a Science-Based Dialogue

    Authors: Daniela Orr1,*, Ayelet Baram-Tsabari1
    VIEW AFFILIATIONS HIDE AFFILIATIONS
    Affiliations: 1: The Technion – Israel Institute of Technology
    AUTHOR AND ARTICLE INFORMATION AUTHOR AND ARTICLE INFORMATION
    Source: J. Microbiol. Biol. Educ. March 2018 vol. 19 no. 1 doi:10.1128/jmbe.v19i1.1500
MyBook is a cheap paperback edition of the original book and will be sold at uniform, low price.
  • PDF
    231.11 Kb
  • HTML
    71.34 Kb
  • XML
    81.32 Kb

    Abstract:

    This study examines the ways in which the public discusses and debates the scientific issue of vaccinations in the online social media environment of Facebook. We apply a mixed-methods approach, where a qualitative analysis is combined with a quantitative analysis of the characteristics of the debate on polio vaccinations in a Facebook group dedicated to parental and professional dialogue. The qualitative analysis suggested that dialogue became more political than scientific overall, yet the quantitative analysis showed that the discussants did not abandon the scientific nature of the issue at hand.

References & Citations

1. Gesser-Edelsburg A, Shir-Raz Y, Green MS 2014 Why do parents who usually vaccinate their children hesitate or refuse? General good vs. individual risk J Risk Res 19 4 405 424 10.1080/13669877.2014.983947 http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13669877.2014.983947
2. Landsman K 2014 Polio whack-a-mole AEONhttps://aeon.co/essays/how-anti-vaxxers-fuel-the-spread-of-polio.
3. Kaliner E, Moran-Gilad J, Grotto I, Somekh E, Kopel E, Gdalevich M, Shimron E, Amikam Y, Leventhal A, Lev B, Gamzu R 2014 Silent reintroduction of wild-type poliovirus to Israel, 2013 – risk communication challenges in an argumentative atmosphere Eurosurveillance 19 20703 10.2807/1560-7917.ES2014.19.7.20703 http://dx.doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES2014.19.7.20703
4. Orr D, Baram-Tsabari A, Landsman K 2016 Social media as a platform for health-related public debates and discussions: the Polio vaccine on Facebook Isr J Health Policy Res 5 34 10.1186/s13584-016-0093-4 27843544 5103590 http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s13584-016-0093-4
5. Larson HJ, de Figueiredo A, Xiahong Z, Schulz WS, Verger P, Johnston IG, Cook AR, Jones NS 2016 The state of vaccine confidence 2016: global insights through a 67-country survey EBioMedicine 12 295 301 10.1016/j.ebiom.2016.08.042 27658738 5078590 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ebiom.2016.08.042
6. Black S 2016 Recognizing the importance of vaccine confidence EBioMedicine 12 28 29 10.1016/j.ebiom.2016.08.048 27624390 5078577 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ebiom.2016.08.048
7. Larson HJ 2014 Vaccine confidence and public trust as drivers of vaccine failure Int J Infect Dis 21 Suppl 1 50 10.1016/j.ijid.2014.03.522 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijid.2014.03.522
8. Kutrovátz G 2010 Trust in experts: contextual patterns of warranted epistemic dependence Balk J Philos 2 57 68 10.5840/bjp20102116 http://dx.doi.org/10.5840/bjp20102116
9. John S 2011 Expert testimony and epistemological free-riding: the MMR controversy Philos Q 61 496 517 10.1111/j.1467-9213.2010.687.x http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9213.2010.687.x
10. Bromme R, Thomm E, Wolf V 2015 From understanding to deference: laypersons’ and medical students’ views on conflicts within medicine Int J Sci Educ Part B 5 1 68 91 10.1080/21548455.2013.849017 http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/21548455.2013.849017
11. Scharrer L, Stadtler M, Bromme R 2014 You’d better ask an expert: mitigating the comprehensibility effect on laypeople’s decisions about science-based knowledge claims Appl Cogn Psychol 28 465 471 10.1002/acp.3018 http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/acp.3018
12. Etzioni A 2003 What is political? CSA Worldwide Political Science Abstracts 2006 SSRN https://ssrn.com/abstract=2157170
13. Bucchi M 1996 When scientists turn to the public: alternative routes in science communication Public Underst Sci 5 375 394 10.1088/0963-6625/5/4/005 http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/0963-6625/5/4/005
14. Scheufele DA 2014 Science communication as political communication Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 111 Suppl 13585 13592 10.1073/pnas.1317516111 25225389 4183176 http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1317516111
15. Altheide DL 2013 Media logic, social control, and fear Commun Theory 23 3 223 238 10.1111/comt.12017 http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/comt.12017
16. Deuze M 2009 The media logic of media work J Media Sociol 1 1&2 22 40
17. van Dijck J, Poell T 2013 Understanding social media logic Media Commun 1 1 2 14 10.17645/mac.v1i1.70 http://dx.doi.org/10.17645/mac.v1i1.70
18. Plesner U 2012 The performativity of “media logic” in the mass mediation of science Public Underst Sci 21 6 674 688 10.1177/0963662510385309 http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0963662510385309
19. Bennett WL 2005 News: the politics of illusion 6th ed Longman New York
20. Hine C 2014 Headlice eradication as everyday engagement with science: an analysis of online parenting discussions Public Underst Sci 23 574 591 10.1177/0963662512453419 25414923 http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0963662512453419
21. Mixter PF, Souza G 2016 Role-playing in a vaccination debate strengthens student scientific debate skills for various audiences? J Microbiol Biol Educ 17 297 299 10.1128/jmbe.v17i2.998 http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/jmbe.v17i2.998
22. Lewenstein BV 2003 Models of public communication of science and technology Public Underst Sci 96 3 288 293
23. Merkelsen H 2011 Risk communication and citizen engagement: what to expect from dialogue J Risk Res 14 631 645 10.1080/13669877.2011.553731 http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13669877.2011.553731
24. Bhaduri S, Sharma A 2012 Public understanding of participation in regulatory decision-making: the case of bottled water quality standards in India Public Underst Sci 23 4 472 488 10.1177/0963662512452231 http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0963662512452231
25. Kahan DM 2013 A risky science communication environment for vaccines Science 342 6154 53 54 10.1126/science.1245724 24092722 http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.1245724
26. Fadda M, Allam A, Schulz PJ 2015 Arguments and sources on Italian online forums on childhood vaccinations: results of a content analysis Vaccine 33 51 7152 7159 10.1016/j.vaccine.2015.11.007 26592140 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2015.11.007
27. García-Basteiro AL, Álvarez-Pasquín MJ, Mena G, Llupià A, Aldea M, Sequera VG, Sanz S, Tuells J, Navarro-Alonso JA, de Arísteguí J, Bayas JM 2012 A public-professional web-bridge for vaccines and vaccination: user concerns about vaccine safety Vaccine 30 25 3798 3805 10.1016/j.vaccine.2011.10.003 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2011.10.003
28. Mcfarland LA, Ployhart RE 2015 Social media: a contextual framework to guide research and practice J Appl Psychol 100 1653 1677 10.1037/a0039244 26052712 http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0039244
29. Hendriks F, Kienhues D, Bromme R 2016 Trust in science and the science of trust 143 159 Blobaum B Trust and Communication in a Digitized World Springer International Publishing The Netherlands 10.1007/978-3-319-28059-2_8 http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28059-2_8
30. Bromme R, Scharrer L, Stadtler M, Hömberg J, Torspecken R 2015 Is it believable when it’s scientific? How scientific discourse style influences laypeople’s resolution of conflicts J Res Sci Teach 52 36 57 10.1002/tea.21172 http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/tea.21172
31. Hinyard LJ, Kreuter MW 2007 Using narrative communication as a tool for health behavior change: a conceptual, theoretical, and empirical overview Heal Educ Behav 34 777 792 10.1177/1090198106291963 http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1090198106291963
32. Abeysinghe S 2015 Vaccine narratives and public health: investigating criticisms of H1N1 pandemic vaccination PLOS Curr Outbreaks 10.1371/currents.outbreaks.17b6007099e92486483872ff39ede178 http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/currents.outbreaks.17b6007099e92486483872ff39ede178
33. Betsch C, Renkewitz F, Haase N 2013 Effect of narrative reports about vaccine adverse events and bias-awareness disclaimers on vaccine decisions: a simulation of an online patient social network Med Decis Making 33 14 25 10.1177/0272989X12452342 http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0272989X12452342
34. Holton JA 2008 Grounded theory as a general research methodology Grounded Theory Rev 7 2http://groundedtheoryreview.com/2008/06/30/grounded-theory-as-a-general-research-methodology/.
35. Oktay JS 2012 Introduction to grounded theory and its potential for social work Grounded Theory 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199753697.003.0001 http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199753697.003.0001
36. Teasdale E, Yardley L 2011 Understanding responses to government health recommendations: public perceptions of government advice for managing the H1N1 (swine flu) influenza pandemic Patient Educ Couns 85 413 418 10.1016/j.pec.2010.12.026 21295434 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2010.12.026
37. Shan LC, Panagiotopoulos P, Regan Á, De Brún A, Barnett J, Wall P, McConnon A 2015 Interactive communication with the public: qualitative exploration of the use of social media by food and health organizations J Nutr Educ Behav 47 104 108 10.1016/j.jneb.2014.09.004 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jneb.2014.09.004
38. Condit CM, Gronnvoll M, Landau J, Shen L, Wright L, Harris TM 2009 Believing in both genetic determinism and behavioral action: a materialist framework and implications Public Underst Sci 18 730 746 10.1177/0963662508094098 http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0963662508094098
39. Douglas H 2015 Politics and science: untangling values, ideologies, and reasons Ann Am Acad Pol Soc Sci 658 296 306 10.1177/0002716214557237 http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0002716214557237
40. Goldman AI 2001 Experts: which ones should you trust? Philos Phenomenol Res 63 85 110 10.1111/j.1933-1592.2001.tb00093.x http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1933-1592.2001.tb00093.x
41. Guttman N, Salmon CT 2004 Guilt, fear, stigma and knowledge gaps: ethical issues in public health communication interventions Bioethics 18 531 552 10.1111/j.1467-8519.2004.00415.x 15580723 http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8519.2004.00415.x
42. Vinot R 2015 Ethics in information technology BoingBoinghttps://boingboing.net/2015/06/13/on-ethics-in-information-techn.html.
43. Bassett EH, O’Riordan K 2002 Ethics of Internet research: contesting the human subjects model Ethics Inf Technol 4 233 247 10.1023/A:1021319125207 http://dx.doi.org/10.1023/A:1021319125207
44. British Psychological Society 2013 Ethics Guidelines for Internet-mediated Research INF206/1.2013 Leicester, UK www.bps.org.uk/publications/policy-andguidelines/research-guidelines-policydocuments/research-guidelines-poli
45. Flicker S, Haans D, Skinner H 2004 Ethical dilemmas in research on Internet communities Qual Health Res 14 124 134 10.1177/1049732303259842 14725180 http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1049732303259842
46. Carrion ML 2017 “You need to do your research”: vaccines, contestable science, and maternal epistemology Public Underst Sci 96366251772802
47. Kummervold PE, Schulz WS, Smout E, Fernandez-Luque L, Larson HJ 2017 Controversial Ebola vaccine trials in Ghana: a thematic analysis of critiques and rebuttals in digital news BMC Public Health 17 642 10.1186/s12889-017-4618-8 28784109 5547580 http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12889-017-4618-8
48. Poltorak M, Leach M, Fairhead J, Cassell J 2005 “MMR talk” and vaccination choices: an ethnographic study in Brighton Soc Sci Med 61 3 709 719 10.1016/j.socscimed.2004.12.014 15899328 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2004.12.014
49. Dalrymple KE, Young R, Tully M 2016 Facts, not fear: uncertainty on social media during the 2014 Ebola crisis Sci Commun 38 442 467 10.1177/1075547016655546 http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1075547016655546
50. Browne M, Thomson P, Rockloff MJ, Pennycook G 2015 Going against the herd: psychological and cultural factors underlying the “vaccination confidence gap.” PLOS One 10 e0132562 10.1371/journal.pone.0132562 http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0132562
51. Fadda M, Depping MK, Schulz PJ 2015 Addressing issues of vaccination literacy and psychological empowerment in the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccination decision-making: a qualitative study BMC Public Health 15 836 10.1186/s12889-015-2200-9 26328551 4556054 http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12889-015-2200-9
52. Kennedy AM, Brown CJ, Gust DA 2005 Vaccine beliefs of parents who oppose compulsory vaccination Public Health Rep 120 252 258 10.1177/003335490512000306 16134564 1497722 http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/003335490512000306
53. Binyaminy B, Bilenko N, Haas EJ, Grotto I, Gdalevich M 2016 Socioeconomic status and vaccine coverage during wild-type poliovirus emergence in Israel Epidemiol Infect 144 2840 2847 10.1017/S0950268816000844 27141821 http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0950268816000844
54. Velan B 2016 Vaccine hesitancy as self-determination: an Israeli perspective Isr J Health Policy Res 5 13 10.1186/s13584-016-0071-x 27051517 4820980 http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s13584-016-0071-x
55. Luthy KE, Beckstrand RL, Callister LC, Cahoon S 2012 Reasons parents exempt children from receiving immunizations J Sch Nurs 28 153 160 10.1177/1059840511426578 http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1059840511426578
56. Funk C, Kennedy B, Hefferon M 2017 Vast majority of Americans say benefits of childhood vaccines outweigh risks Pew Research Center Washington, DC
57. Peretti-Watel P, Ward JK, Schulz WS, Verger P, Larson HJ 2015 Vaccine hesitancy: clarifying a theoretical framework for an ambiguous notion PLOS Curr 10.1371/currents.outbreaks.6844c80ff9f5b273f34c91f71b7fc289 25789201 4353679 http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/currents.outbreaks.6844c80ff9f5b273f34c91f71b7fc289
58. Tustin JL, Crowcroft NS, Gesink D, Johnson I, Keelan J, Lachapelle B 2017 Facebook recruitment of vaccine-hesitant Canadian parents: cross-sectional study JMIR Public Heal Surveill 3 e47 10.2196/publichealth.6870 http://dx.doi.org/10.2196/publichealth.6870
59. Keelan J, Pavri V, Balakrishnan R, Wilson K 2010 An analysis of the human papilloma virus vaccine debate on MySpace blogs Vaccine 28 1535 1540 10.1016/j.vaccine.2009.11.060 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2009.11.060
60. Bragazzi NL, Barberis I, Rosselli R, Gianfredi V, Nucci D, Moretti M, Salvatori T, Martucci G, Martini M 2017 How often people Google for vaccination: qualitative and quantitative insights from a systematic search of the web-based activities using Google trends Hum Vaccin Immunother 13 464 469 10.1080/21645515.2017.1264742 5328221 http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/21645515.2017.1264742
61. McClure CC, Cataldi JR, O’Leary ST 2017 Vaccine hesitancy: where we are and where we are going Clin Ther 39 1550 1562 10.1016/j.clinthera.2017.07.003 28774498 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.clinthera.2017.07.003
62. Brennan SE 2004 How conversation is shaped by visual and spoken evidence 95 130 Trueswell JC, Tanenhaus MK Approaches to studying world-situated language use MIT Press Cambridge, MA

Supplemental Material

Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journal/jmbe/10.1128/jmbe.v19i1.1500
2018-03-30
2021-04-12

Abstract:

This study examines the ways in which the public discusses and debates the scientific issue of vaccinations in the online social media environment of Facebook. We apply a mixed-methods approach, where a qualitative analysis is combined with a quantitative analysis of the characteristics of the debate on polio vaccinations in a Facebook group dedicated to parental and professional dialogue. The qualitative analysis suggested that dialogue became more political than scientific overall, yet the quantitative analysis showed that the discussants did not abandon the scientific nature of the issue at hand.

Highlighted Text: Show | Hide
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

/deliver/fulltext/jmbe/19/1/jmbe-19-34.html?itemId=/content/journal/jmbe/10.1128/jmbe.v19i1.1500&mimeType=html&fmt=ahah

Author and Article Information

Back to top
This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Please check the format of the address you have entered.
Approval was a Success
Invalid data
An Error Occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error