AI Article Synopsis

  • Misinformation about vaccines has surged over the past decade through traditional and social media, impacting public opinion and vaccination willingness.
  • Researchers analyzed the sentiments of Italian users to identify characteristics of anti-vax and pro-vax content and suggested strategies to combat misinformation.
  • Although anti-vax content isn't as prevalent as pro-vax messaging in Italian media, it is simplified for better understanding, and negative sentiments grow alongside media coverage of vaccination-related events.

Article Abstract

Studies on traditional and social media have found that misinformation about vaccines has been widely spread over the last decade, negatively impacting public opinion and people's willingness to get vaccinated. We reviewed the sentiments of Italian users to define the characteristic of anti-vax and pro-vax contents and defined the strategies to deal with the misinformation. Scopus, MEDLINE/PubMed, Google Scholar (up to page 10), and ISI Web of Knowledge databases were systematically searched. Research articles, brief reports, commentaries, and letters published between January 1, 2010 and March 30, 2022 were included in the search. No-vax or ambiguous contents in Italian mass media are not prevalent compared to neutral and pro-vax content; the communication of no-vax groups is significantly simplified, favoring the understanding of the topics by users. Events related to vaccinations are associated with news coverage by media, search engine consultations, and user reactions on social networks. In this context, the activity of no-vax groups is triggered, and misinformation and fake news spread even further. A multifactorial approach is necessary to manage online user sentiment and use mass and social media as health promotion tools.

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Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10547076PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/21645515.2023.2259398DOI Listing

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