HPV vaccine misinformation on social media: A multi-method qualitative analysis of comments across three platforms

Objective

The purpose of this study was to characterize similarities and differences in HPV vaccine misinformation narratives present in the comment sections of top-performing initial creator posts across three social media platforms.

Methods

A qualitative multi-method design was used to analyze comments collected from social media posts. A sample of 2996 comments were used for thematic analysis (identifying similar themes) and content analysis (identifying differences in comment type, opinion, and misinformation status).

Results

Misinformation was pervasive in comment sections. Cross-cutting misinformation themes included adverse reactions, unnecessary vaccine, conspiracy theories, and mistrust of authority. The proportion of comments related to these themes varied by platform. Initial creator posts crafted to be perceived as educational or with an anti-vaccine opinion had a higher proportion of misinformation in the comment sections. Facebook had the highest proportion of misinformation comments.

Conclusion

Differences in the proportion of cross-cutting themes in the comment sections across platforms suggests the need for targeted communication strategies to counter misinformation narratives and support vaccine uptake.

Innovation

This study is innovative due to its characterization of misinformation themes across three social media platforms using multiple qualitative methods to assess similarities and differences and focusing on conversations occurring within the comment sections.