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The echo in flu-vaccination echo chambers: Selective attention trumps social influence
Helge Giese1, Hansjörg Neth1, Mehdi Moussaïd2
1Department of Psychology, University of Konstanz, Germany.
Online discussions about flu vaccination influence perceptions, but individuals selectively share consistent information. Attitudes towards vaccination remain resilient, with no amplification of anti-vaccine sentiments observed in online communication.
Area of Science:
- Social Psychology
- Health Communication
- Information Diffusion
Background:
- Online discussions can shape vaccination intentions.
- Understanding how individuals with differing views on flu vaccination interact online is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how individuals with consistent and inconsistent attitudes towards flu vaccination process and share information online.
- To examine the impact of online information on flu vaccination risk perceptions.
Main Methods:
- 208 individuals with negative and 221 with positive flu vaccination attitudes were studied.
- Participants were placed in homogeneous or heterogeneous 3-link diffusion chains.
- Information conveyed, perception alteration, and message perception were assessed.
Main Results:
- Participants conveyed information aligning with their existing attitudes.
- Attitudes towards flu vaccination were resistant to change from incoming messages.
- Information consistent with prior beliefs was perceived as more convincing.
Conclusions:
- Online communication regarding flu vaccination is characterized by resilience against contradictory information.
- Online interactions did not amplify anti-vaccination attitudes, contrary to potential concerns.
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