Facebook is a platform where if anything is spread, it looks best. Most advertisements that spread misinformation about vaccines on Facebook are paid for by only two organizations. This information is coming out in a study that described the role of social media for spreading unscientific messages against vaccines. Researchers at the University of Maryland and other institutions found that Facebook was being exploited by a small group of anti-vaccine advertising shoppers to reach targeted users.
According to the study published in the journal Vaccine, social media platforms' efforts to increase transparency have actually led to the promotion of vaccination and the removal of advertisements informing scientific discoveries. The research also appealed to be alert to the danger of misinformation received on social media as it may increase 'hesitancy to vaccinate'.
Increasing the rate of refusal to vaccinate will halt progress in preventing diseases that can only be prevented with the help of vaccines, such as measles. There has been a 30 percent increase in cases of the disease worldwide. Only two private groups paid for the majority of advertisements opposing vaccination (54 per cent). The perceived loss of vaccination was emphasized in these advertisements. The names of these groups have not been made public.
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