Thread by @elleprovocateur

This is going to be one of my most important threads.

On Oct 24 2020 we analyzed the Rockefeller Foundation "Message Handbook - #Covid19 Testing & #Tracing, Sept 2020".

This thread examines the #UN [Share] Verified Guide to COVID-19 #Vaccine Communications (released Nov 18).

Before we begin, we need to understand who/what [Share] Verified is. Self-described as "the biggest team the world has ever seen" Verified is #Purpose PR firm (sister org of #Avaaz) partnered w/ #UN, #Luminate (#Omidyar) & #Ikea.

[Share] Verified "Collaborators" include #WorldBank, #Facebook, #Twitter, #TikTok, etc.

shareverified.com/en/collaborato…

"Verified works with the support of #Luminate, #IKEA Foundation & UN Foundation & partners all over the world."

"Combating #misinformation... Verified, an initiative of the UN in collaboration w/ Purpose, to provide content that cuts through the noise to deliver life-saving info., fact-based advice & #stories from the best of humanity."

#Storytelling that aligns with & serves #capital.

#Storytelling that aligns w/ #imperialism & serves empire.

Purpose/Verified (paraphrasing Guterres) states "we must never lose sight of each & every individual life" - after assisting w/ war on Syria - resulting in the hundreds of thousands of deaths; men, women & children.

The specialty of Purpose is driving #BehaviouralChange w/ #storytelling & "New Power".

"Verified" is to create societal acquiescence (& even desire/demand) for the #COVID19 #vaccines.

"New Power – The ability to harness the connected crowd to get what you want" – Heimans

That's a short introduction. Let's get to the manual - & revisit Purpose & collaborators at end, or on a separate thread.

The research undertaken:

"What drives vaccine hesitancy?
Which frames will be most effective?
What kinds of message strategies have been
effective..."

"Principles for building trust"

The key method for obtaining societal acceptance for COVID19 vaccines will be the utilization of effective messengers. Tailored messages & timing [p. 7] is of critical importance - so we can expect to see a huge push via media & "influencers".

#Narratives #SocialNorms #Emotions #Trust #Authority

"Change social norms to help gain acceptance. We are deeply affected by the behavior & choices of people in our networks—even people we may not have met." [p. 7]

The Ashe Experiment:

"It all starts with trust"

"Our willingness to put a foreign substance into our bodies is highly dependent on trust... It’s not surprising that #hesitancy regarding a #COVID19 #vaccine is so rampant..."

[p. 8]

"Stories of individuals being #harmed by vaccines, whether they are true or not, can undermine larger campaigns."

"If a #messenger appears to be motivated by factors that conflict w/ the recipient’s moral values [] the recipients of the messages won’t #trust the messenger..."

"During the #COVID19 pandemic who do
you get reliable health advice from?" - "#Scientists & health professionals are the most trusted sources of advice
during the pandemic." [p. 9]

For this reason - we have the launch of "Team Halo" - in partnership with #TikTok & #Facebook.

Team Halo: project of UN Verified (Purpose) & The Vaccine Confidence Project at the Univ. of London’s school of Hygiene & Tropical Med., w/ support from Luminate (Omidyar), IKEA, Global Challenges & UN Foundations. In partnership w/ TikTok & Facebook.

teamhalo.org

"The cues we take from messages & messengers help us quickly assess how we should feel about a particular issue. This is in contrast to slower, analytical thinking that requires more cognitive effort." [p. 11]

Breakdown on #motivations (Conservative & Liberal)

[p. 12]

…I guess the association we see between populist or
anti establishment voters & vaccine hesitancy relates to something about people’s views towards elites & experts. This relates to people’s understanding of the States & capitalism, pharmaceutical companies & things like this."

[Clarification above - that was a direct quote.]

As many have noticed, there are massive resources being placed into studies & polling to measure the present tolerance/uptake (social license) which is preferred by state for implementation of #mandatory #vaccines. [p. 14]

"Timing is critical"

"By the time the [] vaccine was available, concern was lower, & so a lot of people chose not to get it."

"An important aspect of timing is repetition."

"This makes it important that people hear similar messages from a range of messengers."

#COVIDFatigue

"So we know that the willingness to take a risk w/ #vaccination will increase if you feel vulnerable & if you feel the need. But when everything looks okay, like it’s under control, why subject yourself or your child to
this unknown substance if everything looks calm?" [p. 18]

"Repeat. While being first with a message is important, it’s
also important that people continue to hear the same
message from a variety of sources." [p. 19]

#Repetition
#Repetition
#Repetition
#Repetition
#Repetition
#Repetition
#Repetition
#Repetition
#Repetition
#Repetition

"the right messengers"

"I couldn’t stress enough the importance of a message coming from within an in-group — someone that’s automatically on the inside. It’s almost like such messages even #bypass deliberate #cognition because they are coming from a trusted source..." [p. 21]

“For the most part, we’re going to #trust our in-groups
until we’re forced otherwise. Right?..."

"As much as we’re talking about #trust in testing the
actual messages, figuring out who the source is possibly just as much important."

[p. 21]

"These anti-vaccine groups are getting traction because they are listening. They’re listening to the public."

"A campaign might benefit from a social influencer, social
network model of communication, in addition to a mass media model."

[p. 22]

"For #Black #Americans, for instance, #barbershops turn out to be a really good place to get health info. & having doctors train the barbers [] turns out to be quite effective… having this trusted source who the experts trained to talk about it also helps broader dissemination."

"I imagine that you might be able to get #corporations or
#governments or #NGOs to get on board w/ vaccines. Say to them, 'This is how your government reopens, or this is how your company reopens, once everybody’s vaccinated.'"

[p. 25]

"the #regret angle is really important to leverage, because it’s something that parents really struggle with"

"many parents are also anticipating the possible regret if they do vaccinate & there is a problem, ‘Yeah, but what happens if he gets #autism from the vaccine?’..."

"the group who is most likely to purposefully choose to #not #vaccinate are #highly #educated. In speaking with them, these are people who have read the primary literature themselves, & they’re correctly interpreting it, so it’s not a misunderstanding."

[p. 26]

"Build a narrative. Situate facts within #stories of individuals
reclaiming control of their lives to make them #believable
& #relatable."

"Try flipping the themes of choice, regret and control &
frame them in a positive way to increase #vaccine uptake."

[p. 27]

"[To reach them] go to communities, & [target] the people they trust. They’re not immune to social influence [& messaging them with] 'You’re freely choosing to do whatever you want, & this is why [a vaccine is] a reasonable choice,' [rather than] 'You should do this.'"

[p. 31]

"Historically in the #African #American community concerns about #experimentation are founded & symbolized by the Tuskegee Syphilis Study" [p. 31]

"40 Years of Human Experimentation in America: The Tuskegee Study":

mcgill.ca/oss/article/hi…

"Where possible, get deeply #immersed in both online & geographic communities to understand their specific fears & concerns"

"Recognize that particular communities have significant & valid reasons to be fearful of new medical interventions & address these transparently"

[p 33]

"As humans—particularly those who live within collectivist societies—we are #strongly #influenced by our perceptions of what others will do, the informal & formal norms."
[p. 35]

["we know that information sticks, especially if it's something we want to #believe." p. 17]

"To apply social norms theory to driving change, it’s useful [] to find the #influencers & get them to change their mind, which can have big downstream effects"

"for example, if you were working in #schools, you would target the #kids who have the most connections w/ other kids"

#Acceptance

"it’s really coming down to working more at a community level & working with communities & finding #spokespersons within those communities who are #trusted, who can then share that message."

[p. 35]

"And that’s really how many people make these decisions. Most people are, for lack of a better word, #lazy
#decisionmakers in terms of just, 'I just want someone else to tell me what to do, someone that I trust.' And so the #social #network component is a #huge factor."

[p 36]

"Work with #influencers to shift these perceptions."

[p. 37]

We are reading from the "Guide to COVID-19 Vaccine Communications." Source:

act.shareverified.com/go/7082?t=6&ak…

"Particular emotions can motivate people to action or immobilize them. Using #emotions intentionally can close the chasm between intention & action.

"If people are seeing messages that suggest that the risks of #COVID19 are #minimal, they’re unlikely to #engage."

[p. 38, 39]

"Fear can be very immediate, but it can also be counter argued. #Parental #love, who's going to counter argue it?"

"The call to action is not getting a vaccine that is available to you. The call to action is, 'Protect your family, protect your loved ones. Help the world'..."

"A significant number of vaccine hesitant respondents responded positively to a #hopeful message"

"Respondents would feel #regret if their child got COVID19 & they chose not to vaccinate"
[p 42-43]

["Human behavior responds to #emotion, not science" - MIT Sloan Sustainability]

"In today’s context questioning the motives of gov't is going to be one of the factors here [for a COVID19 vaccine]. So let's say we approve a vaccine early...what the motives are behind it is going to be in question, whether the gov't has everyone’s best interest at heart" [45]

Nudge theory: "concept in behavioral econ., political theory, & the broader behav. sciences purporting positive reinforce., defaults, indirect suggestions, [] still allowing freedom of choice, [] that can influence behavior & decision making, esp. aimed at issues of #compliance."

END. 🙏

Vaccination: Most Deceptive Tool of #Imperialism, Dr R Quijano

"#Vaccination is probably the most deceptive tool of imperialism that even anti-imperialists often fail to recognize. It displays a #humanitarian face but has the soul of a #beast"

wrongkindofgreen.org/2020/04/15/vac…