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Is Vaccination Controversy Infectious? Automated Analysis of the Temporal, Discursive and Interactional Aspects of Online Disputes

Fri, May 26, 14:00 to 15:15, Hilton San Diego Bayfront, Floor: 2, Indigo Ballroom C

Abstract

In the last ten years, vaccines have become controversial beyond fringe groups and doubts have penetrated suburbia, infecting the highly educated, rich citizens often considered immune to this type of misinformation. Researchers increasingly seek to understand how the ‘University of Google’ exposes people to content that undermines trust in vaccination without providing credible support (Kata, 2012)⁠. This generates new controversies in a bottom-up fashion, creating a health-information environment that challenges traditional models (Chou, Prestin, Lyons, & Wen, 2013)⁠, in the process opening a ‘postmodern Pandora’s box’ (Kata, 2010)⁠. Of particular interest are the ‘common person’ perspective as a leading voice in online discussions, enforced by the disillusionment with ‘expert systems’ (Giddens, 1996)⁠, an environment that highlights lived experience; Which makes everyone ‘experts’ (Hobson-West, 2004)⁠. But, How does the decentralized discussion generated by vaccination controversies evolve?

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