Opinions
on vaccinations heavily influenced by online comments
Washington State University, Science
Daily
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| An example from Facebook claiming 108 deaths from vaccine (bogus) versus zero deaths from measles that fails to note that vaccines had eradicated measles in the US in 2000. Now measles deaths are rising because of the LACK of vaccination. |
With measles and other diseases once thought eradicated making a comeback in the United States, healthcare websites are on the spot to educate consumers about important health risks.
Washington State University researchers say that people may be influenced more by online comments than by credible public service announcements (PSAs).
Writing in the Journal
of Advertising, WSU marketing researchers Ioannis Kareklas, Darrel
Muehling and TJ Weber are the first to investigate how Internet comments from
individuals whose expertise is unknown impact the way people feel about
vaccines.
Their study, "Reexamining Health Messages in the Digital
Age: A Fresh Look at Source Credibility Effects," comes after a recent
outbreak of measles linked to Disneyland parks in California has affected at
least 100 people in the United States and Mexico.
"In the context of health advertising, few issues have concerned advertisers, researchers and consumers -- especially those with young children -- more than recent trends in vaccination attitudes and behaviors," wrote Kareklas and colleagues.
Kareklas, Muehling and Weber conducted two experiments. In the
first, they showed 129 participants two made-up PSAs.
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| Jenny McCarthy is an idiot for her role in promoting anti-vax nonsense |
Both PSAs were designed to look like they appeared on each organization's respective website to enhance validity.
The PSAs were followed by comments from fictitious online
commenters who either expressed pro- or anti-vaccination viewpoints.
Participants weren't told anything about who the commenters were, and unisex
names were used to avoid potential gender biases.
After looking at the PSAs and comments, people responded to
questionnaires that rated their likelihood to vaccinate themselves and their
family members, as well as their opinions about vaccination.
Results showed participants were equally persuaded by the PSAs
and the online comments.
"That kind of blew us away," said Kareklas.
"People were trusting the random online commenters just as much as the PSA
itself."
In the second experiment, participants were told the fictitious
commenters were an English literature student, a lobbyist specializing in
healthcare issues and a medical doctor specializing in infectious diseases and
vaccinology. The researchers determined that participants found the doctor's
comments to be more impactful than the PSAs.
"We found that when both the sponsor of the PSA and the
relevant expertise of the online commenters were identified, the impact of
these comments on participants' attitudes and behavioral intentions was greater
than the impact of the PSA and its associated credibility," the
researchers wrote.
The study provides some valuable insight into why the
anti-vaccination movement has been so persistent. As the paper points out,
researchers have long known that people take word-of-mouth communications --
both electronic and in person -- more seriously than they do advertisements.
Kareklas cited three instances in which popular press including Science, the Huffington Post and the Chicago Sun Times have banned anonymous online comments because they feel people are discrediting proven science.
Kareklas cited three instances in which popular press including Science, the Huffington Post and the Chicago Sun Times have banned anonymous online comments because they feel people are discrediting proven science.
"We don't subscribe to the practice of taking down
comments," he said, "because managers would also lose credibility if
they only posted positive comments."
The researchers suggest that social advertisers must first be
vigilant that their attempts to persuade are not perceived by readers as being
manipulative or disingenuous. Health websites should include opposing
viewpoints where relevant, but should also ensure that supportive comments are
abundant, easily accessible and supported by research evidence.
"It would be advisable for some supportive comments from
noted experts to be highlighted on health websites," they said. They
recommended that advertisers clearly identify the expertise of the commenter --
for example, a medical doctor specializing in a related field of medicine.
Most important, the researchers said social advertisers must
strive to develop online media strategies that encourage "credible online
exchanges where innovative thinking facilitates collaborative problem solving
and results in improving customer welfare for all parties involved."
Story
Source:
The above story is based on materials provided by Washington State University.Note:
Materials may be edited for content and length.
Journal
Reference:
Kareklas, Ioannis and Muehling, Darrel D. and Weber, T. J. Reexamining Health Messages in
the Digital Age: A Fresh Look at Source Credibility Effects.Journal
of Advertising, 2015 [link]
Cite
This Page:
Washington State University. "Opinions on vaccinations
heavily influenced by online comments." Science Daily,
5 February 2015.
<www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/02/150205095239.htm>.