Thread by @doritmi

Says @DrPanMD in the 2023 summit of @ImmunizeCa: pivot of anti-vaccine movement from appeal to liberal natural communities to right "freedom" views (there was always a right view).
E.g. Rand Paul and Ben Carson - physicians running for office on the right - pivoted v. vaccines.

Says @DrPanMD in the 2023 summit of @ImmunizeCa: SB277 was a bi-partisan bill (though more democrats), and some Republicans already realized they needed to cater to anti-vaccine people showing up.

Says @DrPanMD in the 2023 summit of @ImmunizeCa: politicization got worse since.

Says @DrPanMD in the 2023 summit of @ImmunizeCa: partnership between anti-vaxxers and right wing extremists identified by @noUpside intensified since 2019.
Extremism grew. E.g. attack by anti-vaccine activist.

Says @DrPanMD in the 2023 summit of @ImmunizeCa: Facebook decided it's not serious enough and generating enough likes not to take it down from timeline of person who attacked Dr. Pan.

Took it down several years later.

Says @DrPanMD in the 2023 summit of @ImmunizeCa: reminder: several years later - an anti-vaccine activist threw blood. Remember: they talked about a lot of contentious issues. It's the only time someone threw something on the Senate floor in 150 years.

Says @DrPanMD in the 2023 summit of @ImmunizeCa: what is driving people to extreme? Social media amplifies extremists, including anti-vaccine extremists.
Most people get news from social media.

Says @DrPanMD in the 2023 summit of @ImmunizeCa: if you get news from social media you're more likely to believe things that are not true. They think they know better, but believe it anyway.

Says @DrPanMD in the 2023 summit of @ImmunizeCa: social media actively steered people to anti-vaccine misinformation.

Says @DrPanMD in the 2023 summit of @ImmunizeCa: social media algorithms cross-pollinate people. Not just anti-vaccine - e.g. cross with Qanon. E.g. Larry Cook's misinformation group was taken down for posting QAnon stuff.

Says @DrPanMD in the 2023 summit of @ImmunizeCa: Facebook itself found that 64% of people who joined extremist groups joined because Facebook recommended it - actively drove people there. Their own recommendation systems grew the problem!

Says @DrPanMD in the 2023 summit of @ImmunizeCa: WSJ article - anti-vaccine activists hobbled Zuckerberg's effort to increase #covid19 #vaccines rates by flooding the site with information Facebook's tools spread.
But they have for years helped misinformation along!

Says @DrPanMD in the 2023 summit of @ImmunizeCa: Facebook blocked a medical-misinformation detector that reduced the reach of anti-vaccine campaigns!!!
Had the tool, it worked, leadership quashed it.

Says @DrPanMD in the 2023 summit of @ImmunizeCa: social media promotes emotions. Do not want cognitive reaction - want emotions. Social media is full of anger and hate - that's what increases use (and profit).

Says @DrPanMD in the 2023 summit of @ImmunizeCa: anti-vaccine clusters are more entangled with undecided clusters, pro-vaccine more peripheral. So social media is a problem.

Says @DrPanMD in the 2023 summit of @ImmunizeCa: social media could reduce anti-vaccine misinformation dramatically by stopping the disinformation dozen.

Says @DrPanMD in the 2023 summit of @ImmunizeCa: and now anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is running to office - political reporters are not doing a good job calling out his lies and reporters on him.
He also consorts with Neo-Nazi and extreme right wing activists.

Says @DrPanMD in the 2023 summit of @ImmunizeCa: GOP gave Dr. Sherri Tenpenny a platform in the legislature - to pontificate on lies about #vaccines!
It's not just social media. Things online don't stay online - they bleed into political decision making!

Says @DrPanMD in the 2023 summit of @ImmunizeCa: Reminder: January 6 organized on social media (as reported by @oneunderscore__ and @BrandyZadrozny at the time).

Says @DrPanMD in the 2023 summit of @ImmunizeCa: Reminder: the anti-vaccine activists were there on January 6 to cheer on the insurrection.

Says @DrPanMD in the 2023 summit of @ImmunizeCa: anti-vaccine extremists continued violence - attacked vaccination sites, harassed people trying to get their vaccines. Drove cars into #vaccines sites twice - CA and TN - direct assault (and trying to take choice from others).

Says @DrPanMD in the 2023 summit of @ImmunizeCa: anti-vaccine extremism ramped up during pandemic.

Says @DrPanMD in the 2023 summit of @ImmunizeCa: 2021 surgeon general advisory: need an all-society effort to address health misinformation.

President Biden: they are killing people.

Says @DrPanMD in the 2023 summit of @ImmunizeCa: how do you amplify misinformation? start with kernel of truth, and then find influencer to spread doubt, pile on related myths, make waves, and morph to fit messenger.

Says @DrPanMD in the 2023 summit of @ImmunizeCa: cycle: because of funding cuts, many articles in mainstream media based on social media - so can be misleading.

Says @DrPanMD in the 2023 summit of @ImmunizeCa: reminder: besides extreme right - also wealthy support for anti-COVID and anti-vaccine messaging. E.g. Great Barrington Declaration: "let's get everyone infected, spread it far and fast".

Says @DrPanMD in the 2023 summit of @ImmunizeCa: theme of get everyone infected is now applied to other disease. Why not let everyone get measles? Only 500 died!

Says @DrPanMD in the 2023 summit of @ImmunizeCa: GBD supporters also used violent imagery (as covered by @gorskon).

Says @DrPanMD in the 2023 summit of @ImmunizeCa: Fox News now amplifies ant-vaccine messages, to cater to its viewers. Watching Fox News per week reduces vaccinations.