Dear all,
It has almost become a cliché to claim that misinformation circulating on the internet undermines COVID-19 vaccination efforts. Drawing on a study conducted across 46 countries, I demonstrate in a recently published article that this is not the case (https://rdcu.be/eEYPr).
I measured the change between vaccination intentions in 2020 and actual vaccination rates. In countries highly exposed to misinformation, this change is positive (actual vaccination rates are higher than initial intentions), whereas in countries with low exposure to misinformation, the change is negative.
Studies show that, contrary to popular belief, social media platforms convey significantly more accurate health information than false information—particularly regarding COVID-19. There is no reason to believe that internet users are more attracted to false information than to accurate content… and I show that this is not the case.
This article complements another piece I recently published, which challenges yet another widely held belief: that social media has a generally negative impact on health behaviors (https://newprairiepress.org/hbr/vol8/iss3/3/).
Bernard Seytre
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HIFA profile: Bernard Seytre is a Consultant at BNSCommunication in France. Professional interests: Health communication and education. seytre AT bnscom.fr