Twitter's Role in Combating the Magnetic Vaccine Conspiracy Theory : Social Network Analysis of Tweets
©Wasim Ahmed, Ronnie Das, Josep Vidal-Alaball, Mariann Hardey, Aïna Fuster-Casanovas. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (https://www.jmir.org), 31.03.2023..
BACKGROUND: The popularity of the magnetic vaccine conspiracy theory and other conspiracy theories of a similar nature creates challenges to promoting vaccines and disseminating accurate health information.
OBJECTIVE: Health conspiracy theories are gaining in popularity. This study's objective was to evaluate the Twitter social media network related to the magnetic vaccine conspiracy theory and apply social capital theory to analyze the unique social structures of influential users. As a strategy for web-based public health surveillance, we conducted a social network analysis to identify the important opinion leaders sharing the conspiracy, the key websites, and the narratives.
METHODS: A total of 18,706 tweets were retrieved and analyzed by using social network analysis. Data were retrieved from June 1 to June 13, 2021, using the keyword vaccine magnetic. Tweets were retrieved via a dedicated Twitter application programming interface. More specifically, the Academic Track application programming interface was used, and the data were analyzed by using NodeXL Pro (Social Media Research Foundation) and Gephi.
RESULTS: There were a total of 22,762 connections between Twitter users within the data set. This study found that the most influential user within the network consisted of a news account that was reporting on the magnetic vaccine conspiracy. There were also several other users that became influential, such as an epidemiologist, a health economist, and a retired sports athlete who exerted their social capital within the network.
CONCLUSIONS: Our study found that influential users were effective broadcasters against the conspiracy, and their reach extended beyond their own networks of Twitter followers. We emphasize the need for trust in influential users with regard to health information, particularly in the context of the widespread social uncertainty resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, when public sentiment on social media may be unpredictable. This study highlights the potential of influential users to disrupt information flows of conspiracy theories via their unique social capital.
| Medienart: |
E-Artikel |
|---|
| Erscheinungsjahr: |
2023 |
|---|---|
| Erschienen: |
2023 |
| Enthalten in: |
Zur Gesamtaufnahme - volume:25 |
|---|---|
| Enthalten in: |
Journal of medical Internet research - 25(2023) vom: 31. März, Seite e43497 |
| Sprache: |
Englisch |
|---|
| Beteiligte Personen: |
Ahmed, Wasim [VerfasserIn] |
|---|
| Links: |
|---|
| Themen: |
COVID-19 |
|---|
| Anmerkungen: |
Date Completed 04.04.2023 Date Revised 28.04.2023 published: Electronic Citation Status MEDLINE |
|---|
| doi: |
10.2196/43497 |
|---|
| funding: |
|
|---|---|
| Förderinstitution / Projekttitel: |
|
| PPN (Katalog-ID): |
NLM354330578 |
|---|
| LEADER | 01000naa a22002652 4500 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 001 | NLM354330578 | ||
| 003 | DE-627 | ||
| 005 | 20231226062003.0 | ||
| 007 | cr uuu---uuuuu | ||
| 008 | 231226s2023 xx |||||o 00| ||eng c | ||
| 024 | 7 | |a 10.2196/43497 |2 doi | |
| 028 | 5 | 2 | |a pubmed24n1181.xml |
| 035 | |a (DE-627)NLM354330578 | ||
| 035 | |a (NLM)36927550 | ||
| 040 | |a DE-627 |b ger |c DE-627 |e rakwb | ||
| 041 | |a eng | ||
| 100 | 1 | |a Ahmed, Wasim |e verfasserin |4 aut | |
| 245 | 1 | 0 | |a Twitter's Role in Combating the Magnetic Vaccine Conspiracy Theory |b Social Network Analysis of Tweets |
| 264 | 1 | |c 2023 | |
| 336 | |a Text |b txt |2 rdacontent | ||
| 337 | |a ƒaComputermedien |b c |2 rdamedia | ||
| 338 | |a ƒa Online-Ressource |b cr |2 rdacarrier | ||
| 500 | |a Date Completed 04.04.2023 | ||
| 500 | |a Date Revised 28.04.2023 | ||
| 500 | |a published: Electronic | ||
| 500 | |a Citation Status MEDLINE | ||
| 520 | |a ©Wasim Ahmed, Ronnie Das, Josep Vidal-Alaball, Mariann Hardey, Aïna Fuster-Casanovas. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (https://www.jmir.org), 31.03.2023. | ||
| 520 | |a BACKGROUND: The popularity of the magnetic vaccine conspiracy theory and other conspiracy theories of a similar nature creates challenges to promoting vaccines and disseminating accurate health information | ||
| 520 | |a OBJECTIVE: Health conspiracy theories are gaining in popularity. This study's objective was to evaluate the Twitter social media network related to the magnetic vaccine conspiracy theory and apply social capital theory to analyze the unique social structures of influential users. As a strategy for web-based public health surveillance, we conducted a social network analysis to identify the important opinion leaders sharing the conspiracy, the key websites, and the narratives | ||
| 520 | |a METHODS: A total of 18,706 tweets were retrieved and analyzed by using social network analysis. Data were retrieved from June 1 to June 13, 2021, using the keyword vaccine magnetic. Tweets were retrieved via a dedicated Twitter application programming interface. More specifically, the Academic Track application programming interface was used, and the data were analyzed by using NodeXL Pro (Social Media Research Foundation) and Gephi | ||
| 520 | |a RESULTS: There were a total of 22,762 connections between Twitter users within the data set. This study found that the most influential user within the network consisted of a news account that was reporting on the magnetic vaccine conspiracy. There were also several other users that became influential, such as an epidemiologist, a health economist, and a retired sports athlete who exerted their social capital within the network | ||
| 520 | |a CONCLUSIONS: Our study found that influential users were effective broadcasters against the conspiracy, and their reach extended beyond their own networks of Twitter followers. We emphasize the need for trust in influential users with regard to health information, particularly in the context of the widespread social uncertainty resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, when public sentiment on social media may be unpredictable. This study highlights the potential of influential users to disrupt information flows of conspiracy theories via their unique social capital | ||
| 650 | 4 | |a Journal Article | |
| 650 | 4 | |a COVID-19 | |
| 650 | 4 | |a Twitter | |
| 650 | 4 | |a coronavirus | |
| 650 | 4 | |a misinformation | |
| 650 | 4 | |a online social capital | |
| 650 | 4 | |a social network analysis | |
| 650 | 7 | |a Vaccines |2 NLM | |
| 700 | 1 | |a Das, Ronnie |e verfasserin |4 aut | |
| 700 | 1 | |a Vidal-Alaball, Josep |e verfasserin |4 aut | |
| 700 | 1 | |a Hardey, Mariann |e verfasserin |4 aut | |
| 700 | 1 | |a Fuster-Casanovas, Aïna |e verfasserin |4 aut | |
| 773 | 0 | 8 | |i Enthalten in |t Journal of medical Internet research |d 1999 |g 25(2023) vom: 31. März, Seite e43497 |w (DE-627)NLM116127104 |x 1438-8871 |7 nnns |
| 773 | 1 | 8 | |g volume:25 |g year:2023 |g day:31 |g month:03 |g pages:e43497 |
| 856 | 4 | 0 | |u http://dx.doi.org/10.2196/43497 |3 Volltext |
| 912 | |a GBV_USEFLAG_A | ||
| 912 | |a GBV_NLM | ||
| 951 | |a AR | ||
| 952 | |d 25 |j 2023 |b 31 |c 03 |h e43497 | ||