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In a significant revelation, a new study released on Friday indicates that unflagged content on Facebook was a major driver of vaccine hesitancy during the Covid-19 pandemic. According to the research, this type of content was responsible for a staggering 46-fold increase in vaccine hesitancy.
The study, conducted by researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Pennsylvania, underscores the complex nature of misinformation on social media platforms. While Facebook’s flagged misinformation was effectively debunked by third-party fact-checkers, the researchers identified a substantial amount of “ambiguous misinformation” that remained unflagged. This content, though factually accurate, was deemed deceptive and misleading.
“Unflagged stories highlighting rare deaths after vaccination were among Facebook’s most-viewed stories,” the researchers noted. These stories, while not necessarily false, played a significant role in shaping public perception about vaccine safety.
The research team conducted two experiments to delve deeper into the impact of misinformation. The first experiment revealed that false claims about the Covid vaccine led to a 1.5 percentage point reduction in vaccination intentions. The second experiment examined both true and false claims, finding that any content suggesting the vaccine was harmful decreased vaccination intentions, regardless of the truthfulness of the headlines.
Additionally, the team analyzed exposure to 13,206 vaccine-related URLs popular on Facebook during the first quarter of 2021. The findings, published in the journal Science, showed that flagged misinformation received 8.7 million views in the first three months of the year. In stark contrast, unflagged content, often originating from credible mainstream news outlets but implying harmful effects of vaccines, garnered hundreds of millions of views.
The researchers highlighted the critical need to address not just outright falsehoods but also factually accurate yet misleading content. “Our work suggests that while limiting the spread of misinformation has important public health benefits, it is also critically important to consider grey-area content that is factually accurate but nonetheless misleading,” they stated.
This study brings to light the nuanced challenges in combating vaccine misinformation and underscores the importance of scrutinizing all types of content that may contribute to public health concerns. As the world continues to navigate the ongoing impacts of the pandemic, these findings serve as a crucial reminder of the power of information—and misinformation—in shaping health outcomes.
