Accepted for/Published in: Journal of Medical Internet Research
Date Submitted: Oct 13, 2022
Date Accepted: Mar 10, 2023
Date Submitted to PubMed: Mar 17, 2023
Analysing Twitter's Role in Combating the Magnetic Vaccine Conspiracy Theory Using Social Network Analysis
ABSTRACT
Background:
Social capital theory refers to social ties, relationships, and trust with communities. In this study, we use data from social media in order to explore the role of online social capital in disrupting a COVID-19 vaccine conspiracy theory that falsely claimed vaccines were 'magnetising' people. Vaccine hesitancy and conspiracy theories have wide-reaching impacts on society and business.
Objective:
The purpose of this health surveillance study is to investigate a Twitter social media network associated with a healthcare conspiracy theory and to analyse social structures using social capital theory.
Methods:
A total of 18,706 tweets were retrieved and analysed using social network analysis. Data were retrieved from June 01 to June 14 using the keyword 'vaccine magnetic'. In this study, we use data from social media in order to explore the role of online social capital in disrupting a COVID-19 vaccine conspiracy theory that falsely claimed vaccines were 'magnetising people'. Data were retrieved from June 01 to June 14 using the keyword' vaccine magnetic'. A total of 18,706 tweets were retrieved via a dedicated Twitter Application Programming Interface (API). More specifically, the Academic Track API was used, and the data were analysed using NodeXL Pro (version 1.0.1.449).
Results:
There were a total of 22,762 connections between Twitter users within the dataset. The study found that the influential users within the network consisted of news accounts that were reporting on the conspiracy. There were also several other users that became influential such as an epidemiologist, health economist, and a retired sports athlete who exerted their social capital within the network
Conclusions:
Our study finds that influential users were effective broadcasters against the conspiracy, and their reach extended beyond their own network of Twitter followers. The study highlights the potential of influencers for disrupting information flows of conspiracy theories due to their unique social capital.
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Copyright
© The authors. All rights reserved. This is a privileged document currently under peer-review/community review (or an accepted/rejected manuscript). Authors have provided JMIR Publications with an exclusive license to publish this preprint on it's website for review and ahead-of-print citation purposes only. While the final peer-reviewed paper may be licensed under a cc-by license on publication, at this stage authors and publisher expressively prohibit redistribution of this draft paper other than for review purposes.