Five tactics used to spread vaccine misinformation in the wellness community, and why they work

[Eugene]

Source: Washington Post

Five tactics used to spread vaccine misinformation in the wellness community, and why they work

By Allyson Chiu and Razzan Nakhlawi
October 22, 2021 at 8:00 a.m. EDT|Updated October 22, 2021 at 5:02 p.m. EDT

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Experts say the content shared in some wellness communities has powerful emotional and psychological foundations that can cause even science-minded people to question the public health consensus on the ability of vaccines to help curb the spread of the coronavirus. Some voices within the wellness space are adept at building connection, gaining trust and sowing doubt — all while appealing to widely held beliefs about healthy living.

“This is what makes some in the wellness community so dangerous,” said Stephanie Alice Baker, a sociologist at City, University of London, who is careful to add that not everyone in the wellness space is trying to cast doubt on vaccines. “It’s not that the wellness community per se is conspiratorial, or that everyone has these kinds of nefarious interests where they intend to manipulate and deceive,” she said. “It’s that once you trust leaders and influencers in this space, then when they become more conspiratorial and extreme, you are susceptible to go down that path with them because you already trust them.”

In some ways, the messaging and themes used by some vaccine-hesitant members of wellness communities reflect those that have been documented in the broader anti-vaccine movement. But there are certain approaches, experts said, that especially key in on the interests and vulnerabilities of people who are invested in wellness culture.

Recognizing these strategies is “essential in helping social media users develop resilience to harmful content and allowing them to report this type of content to platforms,” Cécile Simmons, a researcher with the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, wrote in an email.

Encouraging skepticism of institutions

The online wellness community rose to prominence amid an erosion of trust in traditional authorities, such as government, health and science institutions and mainstream media, said Baker, co-author of “Lifestyle Gurus,” which explores how authority and influence are created online. This loss of faith has only been exacerbated by the pandemic, which has produced conflicting and confusing guidance from public officials.

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Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2021/10/22/wellness-vaccine-misinformation-social-media/

Shared link: https://wapo.st/3vAaFGd

[Hortensis]

1. QAnon, political manipulators, etc, reportedly find the "Wellness Community"

very good fishing grounds too, taking advantage of the same tendencies to irrational reactions. Apparently often glitches in cognition and personality quirks, especially irrational mistrust, that send well intended people down the wrong track to the rabbit holes.

Makes sense that an innate tendency to irrational mistrust of authorities would be the most dispositional weakness by far, insidiously manipulated in the internet era. For them, the respect with which experts in their fields are regarded is an immediate red flag that they probably shouldn't be trusted -- quickly confirmed by a little targeted "research" on the web.

That's in addition to the toxic-level factionalism that's behind the behavior of most "anti-vaxxers," though. They're not crazy, they're mean people.

[dalton99a]

2. Excellent article