Accepted for/Published in: Journal of Medical Internet Research
Date Submitted: Aug 6, 2020
Date Accepted: Sep 16, 2020
Going Down the Rabbit Hole?: An Exploration of Network Exposure to Vaccine Misinformation on YouTube
ABSTRACT
Background:
Social media platforms such as YouTube are hotbeds for the spread of misinformation about vaccines.
Objective:
To explore how individuals are exposed to anti-vaccine misinformation on YouTube.
Methods:
Four networks of videos based on YouTube recommendations were collected in November 2019. Two search networks were created from pro- and anti-vaccine keywords to resemble goal-oriented browsing. Two seed networks were constructed from conspiracy and anti-vaccine expert seed videos to resemble direct navigation. Video contents and network structures were analyzed using the Network Exposure Model.
Results:
Viewers are more likely to encounter anti-vaccine videos through direct navigation starting from an anti-vaccine video than through goal-oriented browsing. In the two seed networks, pro-vaccine videos, anti-vaccine videos, and videos containing health misinformation are all likely to lead to more anti-vaccine videos.
Conclusions:
YouTube has boosted the search rankings of pro-vaccine videos to diminish the influence of anti-vaccine information. However, when viewers are directed to anti-vaccine videos on YouTube from another site, the recommendation algorithm is still likely to expose them to additional anti-vaccine information.
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Copyright
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