Celebrities, cows and contagious ideas about vaccines

  • Morten Sodemann
  • Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, August 2017, SAGE Publications
  • DOI: 10.1177/1403494817724982

Celebrities and social interaction impact fake ideas about vaccines

What is it about?

A historical view on vaccine hesitance and skepticism and the role of social interaction as well as that of decision makers and celebrities. Lately social media on the internet have taken over much of the way information is spread but the mechanisms are basically the same as always.

Why is it important?

Social media has increased the velocity that information is spread and it is important to identify "super-spreaders" of information - whether it is fake information or sound information. An emerging research field looks at on-line spread of information and seems to offer new ways to avoid fake scientific ideas. The strong role of decision makers and celebrities in the spread of sound health advice could be better exploited by health authorities

Perspectives

Morten Sodemann
Syddansk Universitet

Using existing knowledge and obtaining a better understanding of how shitstorms spread can prevent the spread of information that is without scientific background and threatens public health

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http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1403494817724982

The following have contributed to this page: Morten Sodemann