| Autor: |
Bradshaw, Amanda S., Markovich, Hayley T., Treise, Debbie |
| Předmět: |
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| Zdroj: |
Journal of Social Media in Society; 2024, Vol. 13 Issue 1, p97-121, 25p |
| Abstrakt: |
In 2019, the World Health Organization highlighted vaccine hesitancy as a global health threat. Reddit is a key source of vaccine information. Unlike research depicting social media as sources of health misinformation, this study focused on individuals seeking and sharing pro-vaccine viewpoints on Reddit for validation and empowerment to make vaccination choices. Through the Strength of Weak Ties Theory, the study explored 1) how individuals engaged in vaccine-related subreddits to manage conflicts with strong-ties connections, and 2) how weak-ties commenters responded to original posters. A keyword search on "vaccines" and "relationships" uncovered recent posts about navigating strong-ties conflicts on vaccines. Thematic analysis showed themes like contradicting values, empowerment, validation, walking away, and medical recommendations. The study reveals complex relational dynamics in perceived controversial health choices like vaccination, facilitated by social media connecting weak-ties users to inform and validate vaccine decisions--a personal choice which impacts society through community immunity. The study discusses vaccine information sharing on Reddit and the potential impact of the Strength of Weak Ties Theory for health decision-making on social media, especially related to social bridging capital. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Databáze: |
Complementary Index |
| Externí odkaz: |
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