Reference no: EM133366044
The anti-vaxx problem refers to the phenomenon of individuals and groups opposing vaccination, which can lead to decreased vaccination rates and the resurgence of preventable diseases.
One mechanism for the anti-vaxx problem is the spread of misinformation about vaccines. Social media, conspiracy theories and alternative medicine websites often spread false information about the supposed dangers of vaccines, which can lead to fear and mistrust of vaccines among the general public.
My hypothesis is that as social media continues to directly affect and control the lives of its' users, anti-vaxxers will become more prevalent and separate from people who support vaccinations. Social media helps the spread of misinformation regarding vaccinations. Social media aids in helping spread conspiracy theories and alternative medicine websites (which often spread false information about the supposed dangers of vaccines), possibly leading to fear and mistrust of vaccines among the general public. As mentioned in John Oliver's clip, while there will still be people who support vaccines and vaccinate their children, the voices of those who don't will be louder, and therefore, more known. The research question my hypothesis pertains to is explanation, because I am trying to understand what causes the anti-vaxx phenomenon to occur. Deciding to not vaccinate children is expressed within the anti-vaxx sub-group as protection for their children. They choose to discuss the possible side effects of the vaccine, without stating the degree to which the diseases will affect children without vaccination. Without social media, there may still be as many anti-vaxxers as we have now, however, it would be harder for them to spread the misinformation they rely on, and not reach as many impressionable minds as they manage to currently.
To test this hypothesis, I would have different experimental groups that differed on the time spent on social media, specifically time spent receiving misinformation about vaccinations through propaganda. I would have a control group that had a normal feed without any anti-vaxx propaganda. I would then measure the differences between the groups' opinions on vaccinations, and see if theres a correlation between a stronger stance against vaccinations and time spent on social media.