Vaccine misinformation on social media

Tips to engage

31 October 2019

While critics of vaccination are highly vocal on social media platforms, advocates for vaccination often want to respond but don’t know how.

In new research published by the Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Maryke Steffens, discusses how people or organisations that are passionate about public health can engage in constructive conversation with those that say vaccinations are harmful.

Some tips for responding to misinformation on social media about vaccination are:

• Support don’t judge—listening to concerns can build trust and the opportunity to pass on useful information
• Keep it simple—facts and figures on the safety and benefit of vaccinations are great, but only if people can understand them
• Be truthful—acknowledge the fears people have but also the benefits of vaccination
• Engage, don’t avoid—while not every anti-vaccine tweet is worth responding to, many will offer the opportunity to provide polite and truthful answers to real questions

Maryke’s research paper was published in BMC Public Health and a related article informing families appeared in The Conversation.

Maryke was also interviewed on ABC Radio National The Health Report.

CENTRES RELATED TO THIS NEWS

Centre for Health Informatics

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT

Chrissy Clay, Research Outreach Coordinator