“Exploring Science Literacy and the Literacy Communities of the Anti-Vaccination Movement”
by Wyn Andrews-Richards | Xchanges 11.2
Anti-Vaccination Literacy Communities
In an effort to better understand how science literacy, illiteracy, or aliteracy impacts the literacy communities of the anti-vaccination movement, I looked to Facebook, the website for Parents magazine, and the community on the website Baby Center. On Facebook, in order to access some of these literacy communities, I “liked” open, public groups dedicated to the promotion of the anti-vaccine mindset, including Vaccination/Immunization Common Sense, Natural News, and Vaccines What They Don’t Tell You. On babycenter.com, I followed conversations found in the Community section with the names None/Select/Delayed Vaccinations, Support/Info for Non-Vaccinating Parents, and Vaccine-Critical Parents. Parents magazine has been a source for parenting information and advice since 1926. With the dawn of the Internet, Parents, like many magazines, has developed a strong online presence. I performed a simple search on the website with the keyword “vaccine.”
Anti-Vaccination Literacy Groups on Facebook
In a particularly lively conversation on Facebook in the group Vaccination/Immunization Common Sense, a member posted a self-described “vent” regarding a visit to her obstetrician’s office. Her MD recommended that she get the Tetanus, Diphtheria, Pertussis (TDap) vaccine. In this particular group she was among a friendly crowd who backed up her decision to refuse the vaccine. One other group member posted a link to a blog entry on the Natural News website called, “Non immunized Children and Infectious Disease.” The member posting the blog was also the author of the blog. The website’s biography of the author states that she “…is a homemaker who works closely with her husband, one of the most prolific writers and teachers of natural healing in the world.” This biography does not indicate any kind of scientific education or credentials, calling into serious question this blogger’s science literacy.
Additionally, the blog posting had no scientific information regarding non-immunized children and infectious disease. Instead, this post was based on personal anecdotal information regarding her decisions not to immunize her children, directly implying that due to their lack of vaccines they were far healthier than their peers. The blogger states, “Why didn’t my kids get whooping cough? Probably for the same reason they didn’t get ear infections, mononucleosis, the flu, and many other things that infected so many others in our town. Children who are breastfed and grow up eating whole, unprocessed foods have strong immune systems, which have always been the best protection against all forms of disease. And no plethora of vaccines, pills, and potions can substitute for that.” The member of this anti-vaccination group demonstrates a clear lack of science literacy when discussing vaccines themselves.