Check out this post about experts’ goals and constraints when discussing vaccines with laypeople on a Facebook group on “The Polio Network”, part of the Communication Initiative Network.
“The researchers found that experts used a diverse set of considerations in their online communication about vaccines. Goals included disseminating knowledge about the vaccines and the diseases they help prevent, defending science against unfounded rumours and conspiracy theories, and calming fears of parents. At the same time, answerers were mindful of 2 salient constraints: maintaining collegiality with their health professional peers and avoiding provision of medical advice for individuals, even though askers’ questions are often phrased in individual terms.”
