The amplification of uncertainty: The use of science in the social media by the anti-vaccination movement

Chapter 8 from the book Science Communication in South Africa.

This chapter deals especially with the risks posed to science communication when using social media. It examines the use of social media by the anti-vaccination movement in the context of communication networks, trust, open science and the norms of science. The research sought to create an empirically-based understanding of a fast-changing digital world which has increased access by non-scientists to the formal communication of science.