Cited by 1,094Misinformation and Its ImpactsVaccine Coverage and HesitancyHealth Literacy and Information Accessibility

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Anti-vaccine activists, Web 2.0, and the postmodern paradigm - An overview of tactics and tropes used online by the anti-vaccination movement

Kata, Anna·2012·Vaccine

DOI 10.1016/j.vaccine.2011.11.112

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Abstract

Websites opposing vaccination are prevalent on the Internet. Web 2.0, defined by interaction and user-generated content, has become ubiquitous. Furthermore, a new postmodern paradigm of healthcare has emerged, where power has shifted from doctors to patients, the legitimacy of science is questioned, and expertise is redefined. Together this has created an environment where anti-vaccine activists are able to effectively spread their messages. Evidence shows that individuals turn to the Internet for vaccination advice, and suggests such sources can impact vaccination decisions - therefore it is likely that anti-vaccine websites can influence whether people vaccinate themselves or their children. This overview examines the types of rhetoric individuals may encounter online in order to better understand why the anti-vaccination movement can be convincing, despite lacking scientific support for their claims. Tactics and tropes commonly used to argue against vaccination are described. This includes actions such as skewing science, shifting hypotheses, censoring dissent, and attacking critics; also discussed are frequently made claims such as not being "anti-vaccine" but "pro-safe vaccines", that vaccines are toxic or unnatural, and more. Recognizing disingenuous claims made by the anti-vaccination movement is essential in order to critically evaluate the information and misinformation encountered online.

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Okuhara, T., Ishikawa, H., Okada, M., Kato, M., & Kiuchi, T. (2017) · Patient Education and Counseling · doi:10.1016/j.pec.2017.04.013 · Cited by 23
Communities of shared interests and cognitive bridges: the case of the anti-vaccination movement on Twitter
Schalkwyk, F. B. V., Dudek, J., & Costas, R. (2020) · Scientometrics · doi:10.1007/s11192-020-03551-0 · Cited by 23
“Others (Bennato 2017; Bean 2011; DiResta and Lotan 2015; Kata 2012; Leask 2015) reinforce this concern, arguing that the effects of activist groups should not be underestimated.”
Background
Managing counter-knowledge in the context of a pandemic: challenges for scientific institutions and policymakers
Bolisani, E., Navarro, J. G. C., & García-Pérez, A. (2021) · Knowledge Management Research & Practice · doi:10.1080/14778238.2021.1911606 · Cited by 23
“Although some think that the No Vax position is just a matter of “prejudice, false beliefs, or ideological opinions”, their motivations also derive from the “official science” itself (Kata, 2012; Mazzucco, 2016).”
Background
Analyzing the vaccination debate in social media data Pre- and Post-COVID-19 pandemic
Chen, Q., & Crooks, A. T. (2022) · International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation · doi:10.1016/j.jag.2022.102783 · Cited by 22
“…movement may put vaccine practices at risk of being rejected, and their reach can be significantly amplified in the age of information because anti-vaccinists can disseminate the negatives about vaccination through social media (Evrony and Caplan, 2017; Kata, 2012; Smith and Graham, 2019).”
Anti-Vaccine Attitudes among Adults in the U.S. during the COVID-19 Pandemic after Vaccine Rollout
Choi, J., Lieff, S. A., Meltzer, G., Grivel, M. M., Chang, V. W., Yang, L. H., & Jarlais, D. C. D. (2022) · Vaccines · doi:10.3390/vaccines10060933 · Cited by 24
“In the last decade, the anti-vaccination movement has been thriving due to a surge of vaccine misinformation being shared online [8,11].”
Background
Co-Designing a Mobile-Based Game to Improve Misinformation Resistance and Vaccine Knowledge in Uganda, Kenya, and Rwanda
Hopkins, K. L., Lepage, C., Cook, W., Thomson, A., Abeyesekera, S., Knobler, S., Boehman, N., Thompson, B. I. '., Waiswa, P., Ssanyu, J. N., et al. (2023) · Journal of health communication · doi:10.1080/10810730.2023.2231377 · Cited by 22
“…as potential target users–were i) youth aged 16 to 24 years, ii) parents and child caregivers, iii) medical students, The view that something natural is inherently good while unnatural things are inherently bad (Howard & Reiss, 2018; Kata, 2012; Wawrzuta, Jaworski, Gotlib, & Panczyk, 2021).”
Background
The YouTube Apparatus
Munger, K. (2024) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/9781009359795 · Cited by 26
User comments on climate stories: impacts of anecdotal vs. scientific evidence
Hinnant, A., Subramanian, R., & Young, R. (2016) · Climatic Change · doi:10.1007/s10584-016-1759-1 · Cited by 23
“The present experiment focuses on how participants exposed to different types of user comments, which have been shown to skew science in other research (Kata 2012), experience uncertainty about climate change.”
Method
Vaccine-Hesitant Justifications
Rodriguez, N. J. (2016) · Global Qualitative Nursing Research · doi:10.1177/2333393616663304 · Cited by 23
“The bulk of scholarship regarding vaccine discourse online has examined content produced by anti-vaccination websites (Bean, 2011; Kata, 2012).”
Background
Systematically Developing a Web-Based Tailored Intervention Promoting HPV-Vaccination Acceptability Among Mothers of Invited Girls Using Intervention Mapping
Pot, M., Ruiter, R. A. C., Paulussen, T. G., Heuvelink, A., de Melker, H. E., van Vliet, H., & van Keulen, H. M. (2018) · Frontiers in Public Health · doi:10.3389/fpubh.2018.00226 · Cited by 23
The Easier the Better? Comparing the Readability and Engagement of Online Pro- and Anti-Vaccination Articles
Xu, Z., Ellis, L., & Umphrey, L. R. (2019) · Health Education & Behavior · doi:10.1177/1090198119853614 · Cited by 27
Activists as “alternative” science communicators — Exploring the facets of science communication in societal contexts
Fähnrich, B., Riedlinger, M. E., & Weitkamp, E. (2020) · Journal of Science Communication · doi:10.22323/2.19060301 · Cited by 23
“anti-vaccine campaigns [Kata, 2012] — draws attention to the critical role that activism can play for science communication.”
Background
Using Rhetorical Situations to Examine and Improve Vaccination Communication
Ihlen, Ø., Toledano, M., & Just, S. N. (2021) · Frontiers in Communication · doi:10.3389/fcomm.2021.697383 · Cited by 24
“Several studies have focused on the rise of anti-vaccination groups on the Internet (Kata, 2012; Hoffman et al., 2019).”
Background
Politicization of the Low-Carb High-Fat Diet in Sweden, Promoted On Social Media by Non-Conventional Experts
Holmberg, C. (2015) · International Journal of E-Politics · doi:10.4018/ijep.2015070103 · Cited by 23
Feminist Ethnography in Cyberspace: Imagining Families in the Cloud
Bjork‐James, S. (2015) · Sex Roles · doi:10.1007/s11199-015-0507-8 · Cited by 21
Suomalaisten luottamus instituutioihin ja asiantuntijoihin COVID19-pandemiassa
Jallinoja, P. T., & Väliverronen, E. (2021) · Media & viestintä · doi:10.23983/mv.107298 · Cited by 37
Crisis of confidence in vaccination and the role of social media
Durach, F., Buturoiu, R., Craiu, D., Cazacu, C., & Bârgăoanu, A. (2021) · European Journal of Paediatric Neurology · doi:10.1016/j.ejpn.2021.12.009 · Cited by 21
Support for “doing your own research” is associated with COVID-19 misperceptions and scientific mistrust
Chinn, S., & Hasell, A. (2023) · Harvard Kennedy School Misinformation Review · doi:10.37016/mr-2020-117 · Cited by 22
A qualitative inquiry on drivers of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among adults in Kenya
Orangi, S., Mbuthia, D., Chondo, E., Ngunu, C., Kabia, E., Ojal, J., & Barasa, E. (2024) · PLOS Global Public Health · doi:10.1371/journal.pgph.0002986 · Cited by 22
Knowledge, attitudes and opinions towards measles and the MMR vaccine across two NSW cohorts
Brieger, D. G., Edwards, M. J., Mudgil, P., & Whitehall, J. S. (2017) · Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health · doi:10.1111/1753-6405.12720 · Cited by 22
Memes of Gandhi and Mercury in Anti-Vaccination Discourse
Buts, J. (2020) · Media and Communication · doi:10.17645/mac.v8i2.2852 · Cited by 26
The future of psychiatry: clinical practice, diagnosis, and treatment
Turner, S., Yadav, P., Morrin, H., & Bhat, A. (2025) · International Review of Psychiatry · doi:10.1080/09540261.2025.2594523 · Cited by 23
O movimento antivacina no YouTube nos tempos de pós-verdade: Educação em saúde ou desinformação?
da Costa, B. B., Viegas, D. D. J., Moreira, T. A., & Abreu, P. A. (2020) · Revista Mídia e Cotidiano · doi:10.22409/rmc.v14i1.38210 · Cited by 21
Mapping the Narrative Ecosystem of Conspiracy Theories in Online Anti-vaccination Discussions
Introne, J. E., Korsunska, A., Krsova, L., & Zhang, Z. (2020) · International Conference on Social Media and Society (SMSociety) · doi:10.1145/3400806.3400828 · Cited by 21
Comparing covariation among vaccine hesitancy and broader beliefs within Twitter and survey data
Nowak, S. A., Chen, C., Parker, A. M., Gidengil, C. A., & Matthews, L. J. (2020) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0239826 · Cited by 21
Vaccine Hesitancy Under the Magnifying Glass: A Systematic Review of the Uses and Misuses of an Increasingly Popular Construct
Ophir, Y., Walter, N., Walter, D., Velho, R., Lokmanoglu, A. D., Pruden, M. L., & Andrews, E. A. (2022) · Health Communication · doi:10.1080/10410236.2022.2054102 · Cited by 21
“For example, should people who strongly identify as being part of the anti-vaccine movement (Kata, 2012) be considered vaccine hesitant, when in fact their refusal is solid and decisive (Bedford et al., 2018)?”
Background
A self-affirmation exercise does not improve intentions to vaccinate among parents with negative vaccine attitudes (and may decrease intentions to vaccinate)
Reavis, R. D., Ebbs, J. B., Onunkwo, A. K., & Sage, L. M. (2017) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0181368 · Cited by 20
Adolescents trust physicians for vaccine information more than their parents or religious leaders
Griffin, D. S., Muhlbauer, G., & Griffin, D. O. (2018) · Heliyon · doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2018.e01006 · Cited by 21
Neighbourhood influence on the fourth dose of diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis vaccination
Hegde, S. T., Wagner, A. L., Clarke, P. J., Potter, R. C., Swanson, R. G., & Boulton, M. L. (2019) · Public Health · doi:10.1016/j.puhe.2018.11.009 · Cited by 21
Rhetorical Appeals and Tactics in New York Times Comments About Vaccines: Qualitative Analysis
Gallagher, J., & Lawrence, H. Y. (2020) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/19504 · Cited by 21
Listening to vaccine refusers
Kärki, K. (2021) · Medicine Health Care and Philosophy · doi:10.1007/s11019-021-10055-y · Cited by 21
“Kata has argued that the anti-vaccine movement takes advantage of this postmodern medical paradigm by framing the refusal to be vaccinated as part of the patient’s choice (Kata 2012: 3784).”
Background
Repertoires of Vaccine Refusal in Romania
Toth, C. (2020) · Vaccines · doi:10.3390/vaccines8040757 · Cited by 20
The Face-to-Face Principle: Science, Trust, Democracy and the Internet
Collins, H. M., Evans, R., Innes, M., Kennedy, E. B., Mason‐Wilkes, W., & McLevey, J. (2022) · Cardiff University eBooks · doi:10.18573/book7 · Cited by 20
Coordinated inauthentic behavior: An innovative manipulation tactic to amplify COVID-19 anti-vaccine communication outreach via social media
Murero, M. (2023) · Frontiers in Sociology · doi:10.3389/fsoc.2023.1141416 · Cited by 35
“Vaccination attitudes and behaviors: From traditional theories to CIB Vaccine opposition, hesitancy, and acceptance (Kata, 2012; Xu and Guo, 2018 ; Eichhorn et al., 2022) have existed as long as vaccination itself (Durbach, 2000) and date back to 1796 when the British doctor, Edward Jenner…”
Background
Is It Time for Vaccination to “Go Viral”?
Philip, R. K., Marla Shapiro, C. M., Paterson, P., Glismann, S., & Damme, P. V. (2016) · The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal · doi:10.1097/inf.0000000000001321 · Cited by 20
“In the age of the Internet and mass communication, power has shifted from doctors to their patients.(51) People have now”
Background
A path model of psychosocial constructs predicting future Zika vaccine uptake intent
Guidry, J. P. D., Carlyle, K. E., Perrin, P. B., LaRose, J. G., Ryan, M. H., & Messner, M. (2019) · Vaccine · doi:10.1016/j.vaccine.2019.07.064 · Cited by 20
Narratives of Anti-Vaccination Movements in the German and Brazilian Twittersphere: A Grounded Theory Approach
Amaral, A. D. R., Jung, A.-K., Braun, L.-M., & Blanco, B. (2022) · Media and Communication · doi:10.17645/mac.v10i2.5037 · Cited by 22
“Anti‐vaccine messages are more widespread and unin‐ hibited on the Internet than in other forms of media (Kata, 2012).”
BackgroundInfluential
Representing vaccine misinformation using ontologies
Amith, M. “., & Tao, C. (2018) · Journal of Biomedical Semantics · doi:10.1186/s13326-018-0190-0 · Cited by 20
“Other figures, like U.S. President Donald Trump [10], Robert Kennedy, Jr of the Kennedy family [11], Dr. Robert Sears [12], Alex Jones [13], Bill Maher [14], Jenny McCarthy [15, 16], etc., have continued to express distorted claims about vaccines.”
Background
Mode and Frequency of Covid-19 Information Updates, Political Values, and Future Covid-19 Vaccine Attitudes
McAndrew, S., & Allington, D. (2020) · doi:10.31234/osf.io/j7srx · Cited by 19

Authors: Kata, A.
Affiliations: McMaster University (CA)
Corresponding author: Kata, Anna
ORCID: Kata, Anna
Venue: Vaccine
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Published: 2012-05
Volume: 30
Issue: 25
Pages: 3778-3789
ISSN: 0264-410X (ISSN-L)
DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2011.11.112
OpenAlex: W2062321610
Cited by: 1,094
References: 83
Citations by year: 2026: 36 · 2025: 65 · 2024: 77 · 2023: 111 · 2022: 124 · 2021: 151 · 2020: 158 · 2019: 81 · 2018: 73 · 2017: 58 · 2016: 60 · 2015: 47 · 2014: 20 · 2013: 24 · 2012: 9
FWCI: 56.58
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: closed
Licence: www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
Locations: Vaccine (publishedVersion)
PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics: Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Misinformation and Its Impacts
Social Sciences › Health › Vaccine Coverage and Hesitancy
Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Health Literacy and Information Accessibility
Keywords: anti-vaccine movement, anti-vaccine activism, Web 2.0, misinformation, vaccine hesitancy, user-generated content, science communication, online health information
MeSH terms: Communication, Decision Making, Humans, Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice, Patient Acceptance of Health Care, Vaccination, Vaccines, Health Communication, Social Media

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Anti-vaccine activists, Web 2.0, and the postmodern paradigm - An overview of tactics and tropes used online by the anti-vaccination movement

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