Here’s what it does, why it spreads, and what people can do about it

POV: Health Misinformation Is Rampant on Social Media::Monica Wang argues that health misinformation on social media is fueling the global anti-vaccination campaign and offers suggestions for how to combat it.

    • Oliver Lowe@hachyderm.io
      16·
      10 months ago

      I get where you’re coming from. But not everyone who falls for this stuff is “stupid”. Some are just vulnerable - maybe just temporarily - and once you’re in, it’s an awful slippery slope.

      I don’t know how many are just vulnerable and how many are good Darwin award nominees.

      @technology @Tristaniopsis

    • zarkanian@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      6·
      10 months ago

      What do you mean? Worth to whom?

      Also, these people aren’t just harming themselves; they’re harming everyone around them. A vaccine isn’t like a seat belt. It doesn’t just protect you. It also protects the people around you. Additionally, by having a weaker immune system, these people are making their bodies breeding grounds for viruses which can mutate into new forms.

      • Tristaniopsis@aussie.zoneEnglish
        2·
        10 months ago

        Well exactly.

        I’m not sure why my comment has gone from being agreed with, to being controversial.

        Anti-vaxers can fuck off and die, but preferably somewhere else, so as not to compromise anyone else’s safety.

        I feel sorry for their kids and others that they hold hostage to their stupid views.

    • SeaJ@lemm.eeEnglish
      5·
      10 months ago

      You know who is worth saving? People who are unable to get vaccinated. They are extremely vulnerable to things like mumps, measles, and rubella, for instance because many of them are immunocompromised.

      • Tristaniopsis@aussie.zoneEnglish
        1·
        10 months ago

        Yes that fine. I’m not talking about the immunocompromised, and it’s pretty clear that I’m not.

        It’s the conspiracy-eating idiots that my broad brush is painting.

        • Jojo@lemm.eeEnglish
          1·
          10 months ago

          The trouble is that those same conspiracy eaters aren’t the only ones at risk from the conspiracy. Immunocompromised people are out at risk when the percentage of people going unvaccinated increases. They are worth saving, and the mechanism of saving them is saving the conspiracy eaters.

    • afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.worldEnglish
      2·
      10 months ago

      I fully admit I didn’t trust the vaccine when it was announced and was on the fence. Mostly because I didn’t trust the Whitehouse administration. Someone on reddit pointed out studies conducted in Germany, I read them, and changed my mind. When it became available for my age group I went and got it.

      Now I concede that I might be infact a dipshit, but I have a family that depends on me. My kids are innocent and don’t deserve to grow up without a dad because of a very avoidable problem.

      So yeah I get the anger and it is tempting to look at people and write them off, but chances are if they are removed from the world other people suffer.