Health
1News

Scientists and doctors should step up to help combat Facebook anti-vaxxers, researcher says

Dr Lucy Elkin says social media sites like Facebook need to continue to fight vaccine mis-information, and health professionals need to get on there and help to fight it as well.

A researcher says Facebook could be doing more to combat anti-vaccination messaging on the platform after the result of a study showed they have lagged "behind the times".

The 2017 study , by Dr Lucy Elkin (University of Otago), Susan Pullon and Maria Stubbe, is published in the scientific journal Vaccine, and explored how search algorithms and policies affected the spread of anti-vaccination material online.

The researchers emulated real search terms for anti-vaccination material, like "should I vaccinate my child", and found that, on Facebook, about half of the results were negative towards vaccines.

On YouTube, only a quarter were negative, and on Google about one in five were negative.

It's important to note that the study was carried out in 2017, prior to Facebook releasing a statement and making changes which it said would help combat vaccine mis-information.

Those changes including pop-up warnings for people searching for vaccine information or topics which direct them to credible sources like the World Health Organisation - but also gives users the option to see the posts anyway.

Warnings which pop up on Facebook when a user searches for vaccination information directing them to credible, verified sources - but also allows them to see mis-information anyway.

Facebook said pages which intentionally post vaccine information which has been conclusively disproven will also be hidden in search results, as well as removed from page suggestions.

Those pages would also not be able to use Facebook's fundraising functionality, and ads which promote mis-information would be removed, with repeat offenders banned from using Facebook ads.

However, study lead author Dr Elkin says that, anecdotally, many of the pages spreading the mis-information are still there, and says public health organisations and scientists now have a role to play in increasing their own presence on Facebook.

"The sites are still there and they still come up in my feed, definitely,' Dr Elkin said.

"It appears that some of the pages are sort of self-removing or self-censoring, or trying to find a different platform where they can speak more freely in response to some of the things that Facebook are doing.'

The Samoan government is fighting back using emergency laws to arrest Edwin Tamasese, who claims his vitamin mix sent from overseas anti-vaxxers will save children.

Facebook's aim is generally to "build community' and to allow people to "connect with others", Dr Elkin said, but this has led to the development of algorithms which suggest content based on what the site thinks a user will be interested in.

"The internet is designed that way," Dr Elkin said, "I see it on my own personal Facebook feed - I haven't liked any of these particular pages but they come up time and time again as I scroll through".

Those algorithms can lock people into "filter bubbles" which deprive them of both sides of a scientific debate, and many people are mistakenly believing they are "doing their research" by "scrolling through social media".

"People reading this start making decisions on vaccination based on misinformation - things that sounds credible but are not true," Dr Elkin said.

"I'm all for people making informed decisions on whether to vaccinate their children or not - but it's not great when it's done on untruths, misinformation and fear."

Simon Dallow shows us how the vaccine works.

Facebook may have begun as a college "hook-up site", Dr Elkin said, but it now has a much larger role in society, and that comes with responsibility.

"It would be nice if Facebook could use their platform for wider public good and education - I don't know if they will," Dr Elkin said.

Some of those sharing the information genuinely believe it, she said.

"Some people do genuinely believe what they are producing - they've kind of made it their mission to spread the word," Dr Elkin said.

"I think that comes out of mistrust of pharmaceutical companies and the government and belief in conspiracy theories.

"There are some people that do have another agenda - they're trying to sell a product or a documentary series, so they do have a financial interest."

News tip or more information? Email Luke Appleby or 

Scientists and health practitioners now also have a role "to really increase their presence on Facebook so that what you're reading on Facebook is more in line with scientific truth".

"I think people will always have the freedom to say what they want to say and speak their beliefs, but I think more work needs to be done to put a truthful message out there," Elkin said.

"They're doing a lot of work behind the scenes, in terms of science communication, on how to get a pro-vaccine message out to the wider population.

"I think the repsonsibility also lies with public health, with general providers to educate people on what is good science - what is the vaccine message, where people should look for information, where they shouldn't - and what the dangers are of just idly scrolling on the internet."

SHARE ME

More Stories