Flutterby™! : Russian disinfo & Vaccines 2019-02-15 19:31:13.023399+01

Russian disinfo & Vaccines

2019-02-15 19:31:13.023399+01 by Dan Lyke 0 comments

American Journal of Public Health: Weaponized Health Communication: Twitter Bots and Russian Trolls Amplify the Vaccine Debate.

Results. Compared with average users, Russian trolls (χ2(1) = 102.0; P < .001), sophisticated bots (χ2(1) = 28.6; P < .001), and “content polluters” (χ2(1) = 7.0; P < .001) tweeted about vaccination at higher rates. Whereas content polluters posted more antivaccine content (χ2(1) = 11.18; P < .001), Russian trolls amplified both sides. Unidentifiable accounts were more polarized (χ2(1) = 12.1; P < .001) and antivaccine (χ2(1) = 35.9; P < .001). Analysis of the Russian troll hashtag showed that its messages were more political and divisive.

DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2018.304567

PMID: 30138075

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