Publication Date

8-2022

Date of Final Oral Examination (Defense)

5-5-2022

Type of Culminating Activity

Thesis

Degree Title

Master of Arts in Communication

Department

Communication

Major Advisor

Manda V. Hicks, Ph.D.

Advisor

Christina Ivey, Ph.D.

Advisor

Amy Arellano, Ph.D.

Abstract

In the recent years of the rise of Web 2.0, health information has become more accessible. With this shift has come a reliance on social media to inform and educate the masses on vaccines. With the introduction of the Covid-19 vaccine, the conversation surrounding vaccines moved to the forefront of the United States’ zeitgeist from late 2021 to early 2022. In this research, I conducted a case study on the communication surrounding vaccines on social media while examining specific Facebook groups that advance the misinformation surrounding vaccines. I examined over 300 posts from four public Facebook groups in order to determine how the Covid-19 vaccines and vaccines in general were being discussed. Through qualitative content analysis, multiple strategies were revealed that illuminated how the masses on Facebook utilize social media to participate in anti-vaccination culture.

DOI

https://doi.org/10.18122/td.1967.boisestate

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