Concern about vaccine hesitancy has grown dramatically in the last few years, with the World Health Organization flagging itas a top global health threat. This is hardly surprising givenworldwide outbreaks of measles和other vaccine-preventable diseases.
与疫苗有关的错误信息在社交媒体上普遍存在；最近的一项调查发现在这种环境下，有一半的有孩子的父母暴露于有关疫苗接种的负面信息。
错误信息的危害是其潜力decrease public confidencein vaccines. The challenge is knowing when and how to address vaccine misinformation without accidentally amplifying it.
To address these questions, we asked experts how they manage vaccine misinformation on social media. We发表了我们的发现inBMC Public Health这个月。
Vaccine-promoting organizations are well-placed to address misinformation
我们介绍了这样一个观念，即促成疫苗的组织处于解决错误信息方面的好处。与传统媒体不同，社交媒体平台为这些组织提供了与父母和其他人做出有关疫苗接种决定的直接沟通。
Thus, investigating their perspectives and strategies is an important means of supporting efforts to deal with vaccine misinformation.
我们着手通过采访负责对澳大利亚疫苗促进组织的日常社交媒体活动和战略的人进行采访，以收集见解。我们针对活跃于澳大利亚的主要社交媒体平台的Facebook的组织，而Twitter则以主持有关健康问题的辩论而闻名。
In total, we interviewed 21 participants from 17 organizations.
Trust in vaccines is perceived as under threat
Our participants described vaccination as divisive on social media, with polarized dialogue and hostile interactions being commonplace.
Their main audience was parents making decisions about vaccination. They recognized that this audience extended beyond those people openly participating on social media.
Some speculated that thissilent audience- 正在倾听但没有以任何可见方式做出反应的用户可能会对疫苗有评论或疑问，但要避免在公共场合讨论它们，因为他们担心受到攻击。
They identified multiple threats to their audience’s trust in vaccination in this environment. At the top of their list was the pervasiveness of misinformation. Anti-vaccine activists were also characterized as a threat because of their perceived persuasiveness and use of assertive tactics such as prolific posting of misinformation.
Participants spoke of an anti-science sentiment among some users of social media. The complexity of the vaccine narrative posed further difficulties; it could be challenging to discuss adverse events, for example, without alarming audiences or appearing to gloss over risks.
组织使用各种策略
Our participants asserted that amplifying the pro-vaccine voice—by building their online presence and boosting the visibility of like-minded organizations—was necessary to counterbalance misinformation and the voice of activists on social media.
They used a sophisticated array of strategies to promote vaccines. Sharing scientific evidence and facts was their primary tactic. Many attempted to create safe spaces where their audience could ask questions without fear of harassment from both pro-vaccine and anti-vaccine activists.
Curbing the influence of misinformation was also key. Our participants emphasized the importance of being concise and respectful when responding to posts containing misinformation.
Many opted to ignore, delete, or hide offending posts. This was to avoid being drawn into unproductive arguments and avoid amplifying misinformation.
我们在社交媒体上回应错误信息的建议
Based on our findings, we have made recommendations to vaccine-promoting organizations to help them respond to misinformation on social media.
- 在反对错误信息时，请避免明确重复错误的信息 - 这可能会无意中加强观众的记忆。强调正确的信息。
- 提供信息并以诚实和即将到来的方式回答问题。承认风险。这可以帮助减少对风险的看法并建立信任，这在与缺乏疫苗接种信心的人接触时至关重要。
- 尽管传达事实很重要，但要谨慎使用复杂的信息过多。复杂性会加剧错误信息，尤其是如果不正确的叙述简单而引人注目。尝试提供直接且可访问的观众信息。
- 尽管与事实打击错误信息可能很诱人，但事实可能还不够。提供非司法支持也可能是有价值的，讲故事和关于积极疫苗接种体验的轶事也是如此。
- 避免与反疫苗活动家进行拮抗交流。公共论点可能会发送错误的信号，即疫苗接种的价值是在争议的。保持与反疫苗活动家的互动简短，事实和礼貌。
- 请记住，并非所有负面评论都来自反疫苗活动家。犹豫不决的父母可以对安全有真正的疑问。标记他们的反疫苗有可能失去对这一重要受众的信任。
- 最后，要意识到影响沉默观众的机会。删除或隐藏有问题的帖子而不是在社交媒体上进行错误信息可能不那么密集。但是，根据上述建议，对错误信息的反应可能会影响无声的受众。
When dealing with vaccine misinformation on social media, organizations need to balance the potential benefits of directly responding with the risks and the amount of effort required.
We suggest reserving resources for when misinformation has spread beyond its source community. Having a well-defined indicator for the达到of a social media post, link, or comment could be an appropriate way of deciding when to act.
注释