The DOI matches its Crossref record; 80 of the 83 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Anti-vaccine activists, Web 2.0, and the postmodern paradigm - An overview of tactics and tropes used online by the anti-vaccination movement
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.
Overview
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Verification
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
In the citing paper
“Parents who go to the Internet will find that some of the top “hits” for vaccine-related search terms are websites that propagate anti-vaccine conspiracy theories [14], [15].”
From The Effects of Anti-Vaccine Conspiracy Theories on Vaccination Intentions (2014) · cites this paper as [14]
In the citing paper
“Such attempts at intervention may therefore fail on people who are sympathetic to a variety of conspiracy claims [14], [15].”
From The Effects of Anti-Vaccine Conspiracy Theories on Vaccination Intentions (2014) · cites this paper as [14]
Citations
Cites
1 retracted
Wakefield, A., Murch, S., Anthony, A., Linnell, J., Casson, D., Malik, M., Berelowitz, M., Dhillon, A., Thomson, M., Harvey, P., et al. (1998) · The Lancet · doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(97)11096-0 · Cited by 3,006
RetractedA postmodern Pandora's box: anti-vaccination misinformation on the internet
Kata, A. (2010) · Vaccine · doi:10.1016/j.vaccine.2009.12.022 · Cited by 1,208
Self-citationAutism and measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine: no epidemiological evidence for a causal association
Taylor, B., Miller, E., Farrington, C., Petropoulos, M.-C., Favot-Mayaud, I., Li, J., & Waight, P. A. (1999) · The Lancet · doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(99)01239-8 · Cited by 753
Impact of anti-vaccine movements on pertussis control: the untold story
Gangarosa, E., Gałazka, A., Wolfe, C., Phillips, L., Miller, E., Chen, R., & Gangarosa, R. E. (1998) · The Lancet · doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(97)04334-1 · Cited by 749
YouTube as a Source of Information on Immunization: A Content Analysis
Keelan, J. E., Pavri-Garcia, V., TOMLINSON, G. A., & Wilson, K. R. (2007) · JAMA · doi:10.1001/jama.298.21.2482 · Cited by 593
Factors Associated With Refusal of Childhood Vaccines Among Parents of School-aged Children
Salmon, D. A., Moulton, L. H., Omer, S. B., deHart, M. P., Stokley, S. K., & Halsey, N. A. (2005) · Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine · doi:10.1001/archpedi.159.5.470 · Cited by 514
Anti-vaccinationists past and present
Wolfe, R. M., & Sharp, L. K. (2002) · BMJ · doi:10.1136/bmj.325.7361.430 · Cited by 505
Parental vaccine safety concerns in 2009
Freed, G. L., Clark, S. J., Butchart, A. T., Singer, D. C., & Davis, M. M. (2010) · PEDIATRICS · doi:10.1542/peds.2009-1962 · Cited by 503
The Influence of Vaccine-critical Websites on Perceiving Vaccination Risks
Betsch, C., Renkewitz, F., Betsch, T., & Ulshöfer, C. (2010) · Journal of Health Psychology · doi:10.1177/1359105309353647 · Cited by 493
Hate Online: A Content Analysis of Extremist Internet Sites
Gerstenfeld, P. B., Grant, D. R., & Chiang, C. (2003) · Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy · doi:10.1111/j.1530-2415.2003.00013.x · Cited by 445
Research works printed but not linked: 7
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1999, Achievements in public health, 1900–1999 impact of vaccines universally recommended for children – United States, 1990–1998, Morb Mortal Wkly Rep, 48, 243
- Friedlander, 2001, Opposition to immunization: a pattern of deception, Sci Rev Altern Med, 5, 18
- Betsch, 2009, Langfristige Auswirkungen einer Informationssuche auf impfkritischen Internetseiten, Prävention, 32, 125
- Loe Fisher B. In the wake of vaccines. Mothering 2004; vol. 126 (September–October). http://www.trinitychiro.com/media/Mothering_Vaccine_Article.pdf. [Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/5ydNaolTD].
- Sears RW. Is aluminum the new thimerosal? Mothering 2008; vol. 146 (January–February). http://www.whale.to/vaccine/sears.html. [Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/5ydMwOrop].
- Age of Autism. Columbia University Press and Dr. Paul Offit Sued for Autism's False Prophets, http://www.ageofautism.com/2009/02/columbia-university-press-and-dr-paul-offit-sued-for-autisms-false-prophets.html; 2009 [accessed 20.04.11]. [Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/5y5ucrMvQ].
- Wimer B, Emm JL, Bader D. Chickenpox party: developing natural varicella immunity. Mothering 2004; vol. 122 (January–February). http://www.whale.to/vaccine/wimer.html. [Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/5ydfISM5W].
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Items 601–700 of 1,000
Lamot, M., Kirbiš, A., & Vrdelja, M. (2024) · Vaccines · doi:10.3390/vaccines12080839 · Cited by 6
“…positive attitudes towards complementary and alternative medicine [9,10], distrust in the healthcare system [11,12], endorsement of conspiracy theories [13–15], engagement in personal research (information-seeking behavior on the Internet) [16,17], and overconfidence in one’s knowledge [18].”
BackgroundChatzigrigoriadis, C., Koufopoulos, E., Avramidis, P., Erginousakis, I., Karakoida, V., Papadopoulos, T., Sperdouli, D., Tachliabouri, M., Vilanakis, K., Zampounidis, D., et al. (2025) · Clinics and Practice · doi:10.3390/clinpract15100178 · Cited by 6
Cmeciu, C. M., Anton, A., & Glăvan, E. (2024) · Media and Communication · doi:10.17645/mac.7743 · Cited by 6
Ayaz, H., Çelik, M. H., Koytak, H. Z., & Yanik, I. E. (2024) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0308122 · Cited by 9
The Importance of Social Networking in a National Polio Vaccine Campaign
Rubin, L., & Landsman, K. (2016) · PEDIATRICS · doi:10.1542/peds.2015-4658 · Cited by 6
Intentions to receive a potentially available Lyme disease vaccine in an urban sample
Fogel, J., & Kusz, M. (2016) · Therapeutic Advances in Vaccines · doi:10.1177/2051013616629881 · Cited by 6
“There are many other reasons cited by those opposed to vaccination, including that vaccines are unnatural, science was wrong beforehand and that pharmaceutical companies are advocating their use for their own profitable agenda [Kata, 2012].”
InfluentialAcceptation, refus et hésitation à la vaccination au Canada : défis et approches proposées
Dubé, E. Á., Bettinger, J., Fisher, W., Nauš, M., Mahmud, S., & Hilderman, T. (2016) · Relevé des maladies transmissibles au Canada · doi:10.14745/ccdr.v42i12a02f · Cited by 6
Increasing Intent to Vaccinate for Seasonal Influenza
Valentino, S., & Suit, L. (2020) · Journal of Community Health Nursing · doi:10.1080/07370016.2020.1736406 · Cited by 6
“According to Kata (2012), many people turn to the Internet for health information including vaccination advice.”
BackgroundAs possíveis causas da não adesão à imunização no Brasil: uma revisão de literatura
Corrêa, S. M. C., de Vasconcelos, P. F., Passos, J. S. D., Marques, V. G., Tanajura, N. P. M., do Nascimento, D. R., Silva, C. S., Magalhães, L. P., Neves, L. R., & Silveira, M. B. S. (2021) · Revista Eletrônica Acervo Saúde · doi:10.25248/reas.e7030.2021 · Cited by 6
Knowledge and attitude on infant vaccination among university staff in Malaysian public university
Shaipuzaman, N. A., & Rahman, H. A. (2022) · Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics · doi:10.1080/21645515.2022.2029258 · Cited by 5
Liu, J., Reif-Stice, C. E., & Getz, B. (2022) · Online Media and Global Communication · doi:10.1515/omgc-2022-0033 · Cited by 6
Campis, E. M. S. (2023) · Empiria Revista de metodología de ciencias sociales · doi:10.5944/empiria.57.2023.36434 · Cited by 8
Make It or Break It: Vaccination Intent at the Time of COVID-19
Bughin, J., Cincera, M., Peters, K., Reykowska, D., Żyszkiewicz, M., & Ohme, R. K. (2020) · Vaccine · doi:10.1016/j.vaccine.2023.02.014 · Cited by 9
Tailoring interventions to suit self-reported format preference does not decrease vaccine hesitancy
Mäki, K. O., Karlsson, L. C., Kaakinen, J. K., Schmid, P., Lewandowsky, S., Antfolk, J., & Soveri, A. (2023) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0283030 · Cited by 7
Himelboim, I., Lee, J. J., Cacciatore, M. A., Kim, S.-S., Krause, D., Miller-Bains, K., Mattson, K., & Reynolds, J. (2023) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-24490-2_5 · Cited by 7
Hostility has a trivial effect on persuasiveness of rebutting science denialism on social media
Schmid, P., & Werner, B. (2023) · Communications Psychology · doi:10.1038/s44271-023-00041-w · Cited by 6
“This knowledge is speci fi cally helpful because science deniers and online trolls are known to provoke emotional responses 64,65 — a strategy that, if successful, seems to have little impact on the effectiveness of rebuttal, at least when it comes to intentions and attitudes about vaccination and…”
Lifestyle Eco-Influencers Advertising: Is Engagement Driven by Content or Fandom?
Castillo-Abdul, B., Romero-Rodríguez, L. M., & Rodríguez, C. F. (2024) · Comunicação e Sociedade · doi:10.17231/comsoc.45(2024).5629 · Cited by 6
“Most of the academic efforts have focused on the effect of celebrity campaigns on mainstream media, explaining that these public personalities have an enormous influence on audiences’ attitudes, behaviors, and decision-making (e.g., Hoffman & Tan, 2013, 2015; Kata, 2012; Viale, 2014).”
BackgroundReligion, Judaism, and the challenge of maintaining an adequately immunized population
Greenberger, C. (2016) · Nursing Ethics · doi:10.1177/0969733015623096 · Cited by 6
Panatto, D., Domnich, A., Gasparini, R., Bonanni, P., Icardi, G., Amicizia, D., Arata, L., Carozzo, S., Signori, A., Bechini, A., et al. (2016) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/jmir.6205 · Cited by 6
Where are the keys to improve vaccine uptake in adults and elders in European countries?
Gaillat, J. (2020) · Aging Clinical and Experimental Research · doi:10.1007/s40520-019-01443-9 · Cited by 6
Em Prol do Realismo Científico no Ensino
Arthury, L. H. M., & Garcia, J. O. (2020) · Ciência & Educação (Bauru) · doi:10.1590/1516-731320200011 · Cited by 6
Cmeciu, C. M., & Coman, I. A. (2020) · Global Health Promotion · doi:10.1177/1757975920973000 · Cited by 6
THE ATTITUDE OF RUSSIANS TO VACCINATION AGAINST COVID-19: PROBLEMS AND CONTRADICTIONS
Богомягкова, Е. С. (2021) · Problems of Social Hygiene Public Health and History of Medicine · doi:10.32687/0869-866x-2021-29-s1-736-742 · Cited by 6
Giry, J., & Nicey, J. (2022) · Revue des sciences sociales · doi:10.4000/revss.8113 · Cited by 6
How to Respond to Misinformation From the Anti-Vaccine Movement
Westhoff, M., Posovszky, C., & Debatin, K. (2023) · INQUIRY The Journal of Health Care Organization Provision and Financing · doi:10.1177/00469580231155723 · Cited by 6
Trust, Information Sources and the Impact on Decision‐Making: The Example of Vaccination
Dubé, È., & Gagnon, D. (2018) · doi:10.1002/9781119549741.ch3 · Cited by 6
Trujillo, K. L., & Motta, M. (2020) · doi:10.33774/apsa-2020-bbpld-v2 · Cited by 6
“This has been well documented in the case of vaccine misinformation; anti-vaccine websites and social media posts on the internet are widespread (Bean 2011; Betsch and Sachse 2012; Kata 2010; 2012).”
BackgroundTawat, M. (2021) · SSRN Electronic Journal · doi:10.2139/ssrn.3850603 · Cited by 6
Social Media and Stuttering: A Meta-Qualitative Synthesis of Representation and Impacts
Bidakhavidi, Z. L., Nesari, S., Hashemipanah, A., Hosseinpoor, N., Torfi, F., Banari, T., & Farmayeshi, M. R. G. (2025) · Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups · doi:10.1044/2025_persp-24-00222 · Cited by 4
COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among the Chinese elderly: A multi-stakeholder qualitative study
Li, X., Bai, Y., Weng, L., Bai, Y., & Gong, W. (2024) · Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics · doi:10.1080/21645515.2024.2315663 · Cited by 5
“38 Studies have shown that problematic social media use can seriously affect vaccine acceptance.”
BackgroundMudambi, M., Clark, J. W., Rhue, L. A., & Viswanathan, S. (2024) · Production and Operations Management · doi:10.1177/10591478241283839 · Cited by 8
“To get a sense of the misinformation present in the data, we take a random sample of 1,083 posts and cross-reference them to multiple academic reviews (Ayers et al., 2021; Guidry et al., 2020; Kata, 2010, 2012; Offitt and Hackett, 2003) of anti-vaccine online discourse.”
Cognitive flexibility predicts attitudes towards vaccination: evidence from a New Zealand sample
Gomes‐Ng, S., Wood, J. K., & Cowie, S. (2024) · BMC Psychology · doi:10.1186/s40359-024-02048-2 · Cited by 5
“This “infodemic” has made it even more cognitively challenging to make decisions about vaccination, as we must sift through a plethora of competing opinions and information [37, 38].”
BackgroundMedia and education of the consumer
Marla Shapiro, C. M. (2016) · Menopause The Journal of The North American Menopause Society · doi:10.1097/gme.0000000000000669 · Cited by 6
“Yes, he is, at least, entertaining”
Malthus, M. (2019) · Journal of Language Aggression and Conflict · doi:10.1075/jlac.00025.mal · Cited by 5
Avcı, K. (2021) · Turkish Bulletin of Hygiene and Experimental Biology · doi:10.5505/turkhijyen.2021.48991 · Cited by 5
Refusing the COVID-19 vaccine: What’s wrong with that?
Meylan, A., & Schmidt, S. (2023) · Philosophical Psychology · doi:10.1080/09515089.2023.2181151 · Cited by 5
“The patient is sometimes perceived – and she sometimes sees herself – as a “consumer” who has a right to take advantage of the healthcare system (cf. Kata, 2012, p. 3784).”
BackgroundJuanchich, M., Sirota, M., & Holford, D. L. (2023) · Medical Decision Making · doi:10.1177/0272989x231197646 · Cited by 5
“54 Accordingly, the effect of framing was weakened when participants were uncertain and the source was untrustworthy (experiments 1, 2, and 4) or when participants had a strong preexisting preference (experiment 2, when most people wanted the vaccine), whereas the effect was even reversed when the…”
BackgroundSociocrinology: Impact of Social Media on Endocrine Health – A Review
Khare, J., Kalra, S., & Jindal, S. (2023) · Indian Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism · doi:10.4103/ijem.ijem_250_23 · Cited by 5
“[25,26] Reported widespread misinformation about side effects, as well as mistrust in government or pharmaceutical companies, is a major cause for non-vaccination.”
BackgroundPoddar, S., Mukherjee, R., Khatuya, S., Ganguly, N., & Ghosh, S. (2024) · Proceedings of the International AAAI Conference on Web and Social Media · doi:10.1609/icwsm.v18i1.31388 · Cited by 6
Żuk, P., & Żuk, P. (2024) · Health Research Policy and Systems · doi:10.1186/s12961-024-01214-7 · Cited by 5
“…the subject tries to explain the attitudes of people hesitant about vaccinations with their postmodern cultural orientation (which treats personalized truths presented online as legitimate and assumes that the number of truths can be infinite and does not require any verification procedures [34]).”
BackgroundMahto, H., & Mahato, D. (2025) · Sustainable landscape planning and natural resources management · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-75937-6_12 · Cited by 7
Medical Narratives in Rhetorical Context: Ethically Researching Anti-Vaccinationists
Lerner, A. S. (2017) · Technical Communication Quarterly · doi:10.1080/10572252.2018.1399750 · Cited by 5
“Nevertheless, in the wake of this discredited work, a thriving digital community of anti-vaccinationists discusses and advocate for their beliefs on social media, blogs, and websites (Kata, 2012). Recent research has produced insightful conclusions about anti-vaccine arguments, in addition to providing strategies for…”
BackgroundInfluentialImpfethik – Eine Skizze moralischer Herausforderungen und ethischer Kriterien
Schröder‐Bäck, P., & Martakis, Κ. (2019) · Bundesgesundheitsblatt - Gesundheitsforschung - Gesundheitsschutz · doi:10.1007/s00103-019-02915-z · Cited by 5
Takaoka, A. J. W. (2019) · Lecture notes in computer science · doi:10.1007/978-3-030-21905-5_39 · Cited by 5
Défiance vis-à-vis de la vaccination : comment lever les freins ?
Gaillat, J. (2019) · Revue des Maladies Respiratoires · doi:10.1016/j.rmr.2018.10.620 · Cited by 5
Ward, S., & Budarick, J. (2020) · Media International Australia · doi:10.1177/1329878x20975786 · Cited by 5
“In this sense, science and expertise hold extraordinary power in framing debate and shaping public opinion (Kleinschmit et al., 2009).”
BackgroundCOVID-19: Political challenges for public health
Mukharyamova, L., Zalyaev, A. R., & Шаммазова, Е. Ю. (2021) · Kazan medical journal · doi:10.17816/kmj2021-39 · Cited by 6
Challenges in Vaccine Communication
Greyson, D. L. (2022) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-981-16-4290-6_15 · Cited by 5
“Kata (2012) characterized forms of rhetoric common in anti-vaccine social media, but these tactics and tropes may evolve over time and must be pandemic, which was accompanied by an ‘infodemic’ of misinformation (World Health Organization, 2020) that spread rapidly online and converged with…”
BackgroundAşı Karşıtı Tutumların Sosyokültürel ve Dinî Boyutları
DEMİR, T. (2021) · Tevilat Selçuk Üniversitesi İslami İlimler Fakültesi Dergisi · doi:10.53352/tevilat.1034303 · Cited by 5
Vaccination Double Bind: A Study of Pregnancy and COVID-19 Vaccine Decision-Making
Campeau, K. (2022) · Rhetoric Society Quarterly · doi:10.1080/02773945.2022.2062437 · Cited by 5
Os efeitos da pandemia de covid-19 no discurso antivacinação infantil no Facebook
Recuero, R., Volcan, T. D. O., & Jorge, F. C. (2022) · Reciis · doi:10.29397/reciis.v16i4.3404 · Cited by 5
Nieminen, H. P., Syrjänen, R. K., Puumalainen, T., Sirén, P., & PALMU, A. A. I. (2015) · Vaccine · doi:10.1016/j.vaccine.2015.06.010 · Cited by 5
“So far the power of stories, often more effective than the scientific facts [22], have been used almost solely by anti-vaccine persons and movements [23-25].”
BackgroundRights of the Unvaccinated Child
Reiss, D. R. (2017) · Emerald Group Publishing Limited eBooks · doi:10.1108/s1059-433720170000073007 · Cited by 5
Chen, W.-C., & Milojević, S. (2018) · ACM Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) · doi:10.1145/3272973.3274082 · Cited by 5
“Despite the long history of the anti-vaccination movement, it is considered that Web 2.0 and social media have empowered the movement advocates and amplified their influence (Kata, 2012; Wilson & Keelan, 2013).”
BackgroundInfluentialHow SES May Figure in Perceptions of Zika Risks and in Preventive Action
Lo, C. C., & Laurent‐Simpson, A. (2018) · Sociological Spectrum · doi:10.1080/02732173.2018.1502109 · Cited by 5
Social Media Self-Regulation and the Rise of Vaccine MisinformationPreprint
Rutschman, A. S. (2021) · SSRN Electronic Journal · doi:10.2139/ssrn.3782197 · Cited by 5
Malek, S., Griffin, C. H., Fraleigh, R. D., Lennon, R. P., Monga, V., & Shen, L. (2025) · medRxiv · doi:10.1101/2025.05.22.25327931 · Cited by 4
“These inaccuracies often circulate rapidly via social media, exploiting emotional narratives that overshadow fact-based content and leading individuals to question the legitimacy of evidence-based interventions (5,8–11).”
Heikkilä, T., Laaksonen, S.-M., & Pohjonen, M. (2025) · New Media & Society · doi:10.1177/14614448251365270 · Cited by 4
“…defined broadly as ‘information that is contrary to the epistemic consensus of the scientific community’ (Swire-Thompson and Lazer, 2020: 434), had proliferated across dominant social media, particularly during pandemics from Ebola to Zika (e.g. Bode and Vraga, 2015; Kata, 2012; Wang et al., 2019).”
InfluentialHuang, D. P., Wu, Y., & Li, H. (2025) · Frontiers in Public Health · doi:10.3389/fpubh.2025.1616129 · Cited by 4
Vaino, K., Korfiatis, K., Сергеевна, А. А., Попов, О., Valdmann, A., & Orru, H. (2026) · Science & Education · doi:10.1007/s11191-026-00736-6 · Cited by 4
Older adults and online health misinformation: a systematic literature review
Hu, H., Jin, G., & Zhang, X. (2026) · BMC Psychology · doi:10.1186/s40359-026-04714-z · Cited by 5
“The absence of structured expert review mechanisms on social media platforms allows false claims, pseudoscientific narratives, and intentionally deceptive content to circulate alongside evidence-based medical information, posing serious risks to public health decision-making [7, 8].”
Falade, B. A. (2024) · Cultures of Science · doi:10.1177/20966083241257338 · Cited by 5
“The internet moved debates online, and social media are now important sources of information; health news is increasingly sought from online news groups and blogs rather than of fi cial vaccine information sites (Kata, 2012; Witteman and Zikmund-Fisher, 2012).”
Public attitudes towards social media field experiments
Straub, V. J., Burton, J. W., Geers, M., & Lorenz-Spreen, P. (2024) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-024-76948-z · Cited by 4
Fritz, A. M., & Smith, A. M. (2025) · Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics · doi:10.1080/21645515.2024.2443999 · Cited by 4
“…because they prioritize a parent’s intuitive epistemology in matters concerning their child’s health over an expert’s training and knowledge (e.g 34,35 Thus, an important consideration in the examination of vaccine-skeptical claims lies in the epistemological standards underlying those claims.”
When science meets Google: Reflections on research and evidence in the age of science deniers
MacDonald, N. E. (2018) · Clinical and investigative medicine · doi:10.25011/cim.v41i2.31440 · Cited by 4
Yadav, P., Kant, R., Kishore, S., Kumar, R., & Kataria, N. (2020) · Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care · doi:10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_362_20 · Cited by 4
A comparison between online social media discussions and vaccination rates: A tale of four vaccines
Chen, Q., Croitoru, A., & Crooks, A. T. (2023) · Digital Health · doi:10.1177/20552076231155682 · Cited by 5
“While the use of online platforms in the context of vaccinations has attracted considerable attention, the interplay between participation in vaccination discussion and actual vaccination-related behaviors is not yet fully understood.(7) This paper aims to explore this interplay through the lens of public attention as…”
BackgroundFischbacher‐Smith, D. (2023) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190848927.013.18 · Cited by 4
Trzebiński, W., & Trzebiński, J. (2024) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0300814 · Cited by 4
“Likewise, one of the main concerns raised by anti-vaxxers is the issue of vaccine "unnaturalness," including the perception of vaccines as based on human intervention in the natural world [3, 13].”
BackgroundMaking sense of a pandemic: reasoning about COVID-19 in the intellectual dark web
Doody, S. (2024) · Frontiers in Sociology · doi:10.3389/fsoc.2024.1374042 · Cited by 4
“Kata (2012) ties the rise of the anti-vaccine movement to the growth of a postmodern medical paradigm where patients are centered as educated consumers “with access to information diversity” who are “empowered” to question expert advice (Kata, 2012, p. 3779).”
BackgroundRedefining expertise: how proponents and opponents of alternative therapies evaluate expertise
Uutela, E., & Väliverronen, E. (2024) · Science as Culture · doi:10.1080/09505431.2024.2416675 · Cited by 4
“These views are also present in vaccine-negative debates, where the figure of speech ‘Big Pharma’ is repeated frequently (Kata, 2011, 3784).”
InfluentialAnti-vaxxers: Wakefield and the Autism Scare
Rodriguez, N. J. (2024) · Risk, systems and decisions · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-74062-6_6 · Cited by 5
Ye, S., & Clarke, I. (2025) · Linguistics Vanguard · doi:10.1515/lingvan-2024-0066 · Cited by 4
“With the capacity of websites to in fl uence health decisions, studies have sought to understand anti-vaccination websites ’ content and persuasiveness (e.g., Bean 2011; Kata 2012; Moran et al. 2016; Sak et al. 2015).”
Evidence and Access to Biomedical Interventions: The Case of Stem Cell Treatments
Maschke, K. J., & Gusmano, M. K. (2016) · Journal of Health Politics Policy and Law · doi:10.1215/03616878-3632212 · Cited by 4
Yuan, X., & Crooks, A. (2017) · International Conference on Social, Cultural, and Behavioral Modeling · doi:10.1007/978-3-319-60240-0_14 · Cited by 6
A Multiyear Model of Influenza Vaccination in the United States
Kamis, A. A., Zhang, Y., & Kamis, T. (2017) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph14080849 · Cited by 4
“The Internet has enabled the distribution of medical information, empowering patients to treat themselves or at least ask their doctors better, more informed questions.”
BackgroundInfluentialGive ME a Choice: Perceptions of Freedom and the Anti-Vax Movement in Maine
Goldman, L. (2020) · Digital Commons - Colby (Colby College) · Cited by 4
Warwas, I., Dzimińska, M., & Krzewińska, A. (2021) · Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS) · doi:10.24251/hicss.2021.324 · Cited by 4
“Kata [43] reports a series of tactics that are employed by anti-vaccination activists to gain an audience and spread their message.”
BackgroundMeilani, D., Martha, E., Pratomo, H., Hasanah, I. J., & Rungreangkulkij, S. (2021) · Kesmas National Public Health Journal · doi:10.21109/kesmas.v16i1.3478 · Cited by 4
“11 Kelly, Jenkinson, and Ziebland, 12 found that health-related websites act as peer-to-peer information channels that provide experiential information including factors like feeling supported, relationships with others, experiencing health services, and affecting behavior.”
Wrong versus Right(eous): Online Reader Comments as Scientific Boundary‐Work
Barker, K. K., Kenney, A. M., & Greene, R. N. (2021) · Sociological Forum · doi:10.1111/socf.12717 · Cited by 4
In Torlak we (would) trust: domestic vaccine production in contemporary Serbia
Brujić, M. (2022) · Medical Humanities · doi:10.1136/medhum-2021-012212 · Cited by 4
“Bearing this in mind, I analysed daily press electronic word of mouth (eWOM), an already established research method both in international vaccine- oriented social science studies (eg, Kata 2012; Kata 2010) and in Serbia (Trifunović 2019).”
BackgroundMethodInfluentialConnoway, K., Keal, H., van Lill, M., & Joubert, M. (2022) · Journal of Science Communication · doi:10.22323/2.21050204 · Cited by 4
Bridging Experience and Expertise
Campeau, K. (2022) · Rhetoric of Health & Medicine · doi:10.5744/rhm.2022.5021 · Cited by 4
Agnese, G., & Presaghi, F. (2023) · Fortune Journal of Health Sciences · doi:10.26502/fjhs.099 · Cited by 4
Maia, L. R. H., Massarani, L., dos Santos, M. A., & de Oliveira, T. M. (2024) · Galáxia (São Paulo) · doi:10.1590/1982-2553202464635 · Cited by 4
“Like Us on Facebook®”: Nursing in a World of Social Media
Siegmund, L. A. (2019) · Journal of Radiology Nursing · doi:10.1016/j.jradnu.2019.06.003 · Cited by 4
Kołłątaj, B., Kołłątaj, W. P., Karwat, I. D., Sobieszczański, J., & Panasiuk, L. (2020) · Annals of Agricultural and Environmental Medicine · doi:10.26444/aaem/126014 · Cited by 4
POLEMIK ANTARA PENERIMAAN DAN PENOLAKAN VAKSINASI KANAK-KANAK: ANALISIS DARI PERSPEKTIF ISLAM
Fauzi, T. F. A. T. M., Razif, N. F. M., & Ramli, M. A. (2018) · Jurnal Syariah · doi:10.22452/js.vol26no2.2 · Cited by 4
Komunikacja naukowa w Polsce. Szczepionki, medycyna alternatywna, zmiany klimatyczne, GMO pod lupą
Krzewińska, A., Dzimińska, M., Warwas, I., & Wiktorowicz, J. (2021) · Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego eBooks · doi:10.18778/8220-553-4 · Cited by 4
Kislitsyn, D. V., & Schapov, D. (2022) · Population and Economics · doi:10.3897/popecon.6.e90723 · Cited by 4
“Nevertheless, the anti-vaxxer movement turned into a noticeable social phenomenon rather than disappeared (Kata 2010; Kata 2012).”
BackgroundUnderstanding the Role of Medium in the Control and Flows of Information in Health Communication
Humphreys, S., Rodger, D., & Flabouris, M. (2013) · Asia Pacific Media Educator · doi:10.1177/1326365x13517188 · Cited by 4
Encouraging Vaccination Behavior Through Online Social Media
Langley, D., Wijn, R., Epskamp, S., & van Bork, R. (2016) · Lecture notes in information systems and organisation · doi:10.1007/978-3-319-38974-5_24 · Cited by 4
Rossen, I. (2015) · UWA Profiles and Research Repository (UWA) · Cited by 4
Influenza vaccination discourse in major Canadian news media, 2017–2018
Murdoch, B., & Caulfield, T. (2018) · Heliyon · doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2018.e00970 · Cited by 4
Lindén, L. (2020) · Science & Technology Studies · doi:10.23987/sts.73095 · Cited by 4
Lauffer, K., Harrington, A., Twenhafel, L., Gajar, A., Kang, W., Ke, S., Rosas, A., Wansing, K., Tarka, G., & Brooks, B. D. (2025) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-88668-3_7 · Cited by 4
Sharevski, F., Jachim, P., & Florek, K. (2020) · arXiv (Cornell University) · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2003.12093 · Cited by 4
“The original tweet was based on the tropes commonly used to argue vaccination effectiveness elaborated in [31].”
BackgroundMethodTRENDS IN PERCEPTION OF COVID-19 IN POLISH INTERNETPreprint
Jarynowski, A. K., Wójta-Kempa, M., & Belik, V. (2020) · doi:10.31234/osf.io/dr3gm · Cited by 4
Metadata
- 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)
- 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
- 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
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
