Anti-Vaxxers are the New Extremists
In March, a poll found 61 percent percent of Americans have either received their first dose of the coronavirus vaccine or intend to get vaccinated, and roughly 20 percent remain skeptical. While 20 percent of Americans are against receiving the vaccination, this does not make them anti-vaxxer extremists. An individual refusing to get vaccinated becomes a full-blown extremist when that individual outright rejects confidence in “doctors and drug companies, in media and philanthropy, in politicians and government agencies.” It is at this point where the anti-vaxxer movement merges with QAnon.
The concerns being raised by those who are expressing vaccine hesitancy are largely legitimate. Was the vaccine rushed to market? Are the side effects dangerous? Was the approval process overly politicized by the Trump administration? Is it safe? These questions are valid and should be addressed, not minimized.
The deviation from vaccine skepticism to anti-vaxxer extremist happens when an individual’s concern about vaccines defies logic or reason. Conspiracy theories about ruthless profit motives, odious plans, and government agendas have taken hold and have been spread widely by celebrities such as Jenny McCarthy, and other social media influencers on Facebook and Instagram.
A perfect storm for the emergence and fueling of new conspiracy theories online was created during the pandemic. As Americans watched the world head into a lockdown, government institutions and leaders became overwhelmed, and economic uncertainty loomed. Sheltering in place, some Americans allowed anxiety over the uncertainty of the future and paranoia to take hold.
Searching for answers, many people turned to social media to understand the ‘new normal’. Since the beginning of the pandemic, social media has seen a 50 percent uptick in anti-vaccine conspiracy accounts. Inadvertently, social media networks such as Facebook have created a space for anti-vaxxer extremists to organize disinformation campaigns and plan anti-vaccine protests, such as the one in February at Dodger Stadium in California.
While the anti-vaxxer movement is not new, in the past year it has grown significantly online, reaching about 59 million followers. Online anti-vaxxer extremists are weaponizing the public health crisis for their own gain, creating chaos and confusion surrounding the vaccine science. The end goal of the anti-vaxxer extremist is to sow discord between those working to end the pandemic and the public.
The manufacturing of conspiracy theories and the peddling of disinformation is a danger to American democracy, but when a global pandemic is involved, the stakes are even higher as billions of lives are at risk. However, we have the ability to thwart the extremist agenda by sharing evidence-based facts on the vaccine, refusing to engage in anti-vaxxer disinformation, and educating our friends and family on the importance of getting vaccinated.
For now, anti-vaxxers and far-right extremists have come together over a common cause of the COVID vaccine through a mutual distrust of the government. While this coalition may not have longevity once the pandemic is over, right now, it is one of the most dangerous extremist cohorts America has seen. Spanning large swaths of socio-economic statuses, gender, and education levels, the common goal of sharing disinformation, peddling conspiracy theories, and working to actively undermine those seeking to end a global health crisis is a danger to our democracy. We must not succumb to their fear-mongering or fall victim to their false narratives.
We have come too far to allow extremists to force us to live in fear of science and prevent us from getting back to living our lives. With 86 million Americans completely vaccinated and another 213 million who have received their first dose, the country is on track to slowly reopen. It’s time to turn the page on the pandemic, and the best way to ensure the coronavirus is eradicated is by encouraging everyone to get vaccinated. The time to act is now.