“Exploring Science Literacy and the Literacy Communities of the Anti-Vaccination Movement”

by Wyn Andrews-Richards | Xchanges 11.2

Frustration Among Scientists

One article addressing the widespread pseudo research utilized by the anti-vaccination movement is “Anti-vaccine activists, Web 2.0, and the postmodern paradigm – An overview of tactics and tropes used online by the anti-vaccination movement.” The author Anna Kata writes, “Research has shifted to social media. An analysis of YouTube immunization videos found that 32% opposed vaccination, and that these had higher ratings and more views than pro-vaccine videos” (Kata, 2012). Additionally, Kata analyzes the rhetorical tactics used by the anti-vaccination movement. One such tactic is, “Skewing the Science – Denigrating and rejecting science that fails to support anti-vaccine positions; endorsing poorly-conducted studies that promote anti-vaccine agendas” (Kata, 2012).

The Facebook poster’s description of her laughing at her obstetrician, in addition to the other mother proudly rejecting prenatal care, is extremely problematic. Ostensibly, these women trust the birth of their children to board certified physicians. It is implied through what the original poster does not say about her own educational background that she is not a physician herself. Her obstetrician most likely has an MD, and is not only generally educated in medicine, but specializes in the medicine of birth and babies. His credentials clearly make him far more qualified to make important medical decisions than this woman.

An article from Time magazine, “Nothing, Not Even Hard Facts, Can Make Anti-Vaxxers Change Their Minds,” discusses how researchers found a backlash against the presentation of vaccine facts to “anti-vaxxers”: “A new study shows that when presented with four different scientifically proven arguments that vaccinations are safe, some anti-vaccination parents seemed even less inclined to inoculate their kids against measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) once they saw the evidence” (Alter, 2014). This leads to the overriding question in this entire discussion about science literacy, and the literacy practices of the anti-vaccination movement: Why do some parents reject those with greater literacies than they, in favor of flawed, uncritical thinking regarding vaccines?