Anand Venkatraman1, Neetika Garg2, Nilay Kumar3. 1. Department of Neurology, University of Alabama Birmingham, Sparks Center Suite 350, 1720 2nd Avenue South, Birmingham, AL, USA. Electronic address: anandv123@gmail.com. 2. Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center/Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA. 3. Department of Medicine, Cambridge Health Alliance/Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, MA, USA.
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: It is suspected that Web 2.0 web sites, with a lot of user-generated content, often support viewpoints that link autism to vaccines. METHODS: We assessed the prevalence of the views supporting a link between vaccines and autism online by comparing YouTube, Google and Wikipedia with PubMed. Freedom of speech is highest on YouTube and progressively decreases for the others. RESULTS: Support for a link between vaccines and autism is most prominent on YouTube, followed by Google search results. It is far lower on Wikipedia and PubMed. Anti-vaccine activists use scientific arguments, certified physicians and official-sounding titles to gain credibility, while also leaning on celebrity endorsement and personalized stories. CONCLUSIONS: Online communities with greater freedom of speech lead to a dominance of anti-vaccine voices. Moderation of content by editors can offer balance between free expression and factual accuracy. Health communicators and medical institutions need to step up their activity on the Internet.
INTRODUCTION: It is suspected that Web 2.0 web sites, with a lot of user-generated content, often support viewpoints that link autism to vaccines. METHODS: We assessed the prevalence of the views supporting a link between vaccines and autism online by comparing YouTube, Google and Wikipedia with PubMed. Freedom of speech is highest on YouTube and progressively decreases for the others. RESULTS: Support for a link between vaccines and autism is most prominent on YouTube, followed by Google search results. It is far lower on Wikipedia and PubMed. Anti-vaccine activists use scientific arguments, certified physicians and official-sounding titles to gain credibility, while also leaning on celebrity endorsement and personalized stories. CONCLUSIONS: Online communities with greater freedom of speech lead to a dominance of anti-vaccine voices. Moderation of content by editors can offer balance between free expression and factual accuracy. Health communicators and medical institutions need to step up their activity on the Internet.
Authors: Lenny Grant; Bernice L Hausman; Margaret Cashion; Nicholas Lucchesi; Kelsey Patel; Jonathan Roberts Journal: J Med Internet Res Date: 2015-05-29 Impact factor: 5.428
Authors: Zubair Shah; Didi Surian; Amalie Dyda; Enrico Coiera; Kenneth D Mandl; Adam G Dunn Journal: J Med Internet Res Date: 2019-11-04 Impact factor: 5.428