Is Facebook Killing People? Inoculated Newsletter #4
Is Facebook Killing People?
This past week was all about President Biden's Biden saying platforms like Facebook were ‘killing people’ by posting COVID-19 misinformation.
The Guardian, citing an older study, said that vast majority of Covid-19 anti-vaccine misinformation and conspiracy theories originated from just 12 people. The Guardian's @juliacarriew reminds us that Facebook actively promoted g anti-vaxxer groups to people searching for vaccine information in 2019.
Twitter this week suspended Marjorie Taylor Greene's account for 12 hours.
More this week:
Anti-vaxx ‘mobs’: doctors face harassment campaigns on Facebook
Medical experts who counter misinformation are weathering coordinated attacks. Now some are fighting back
![](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4b4bc30c67223da07b36e855d91d9e88cdaabb07/0_78_3378_2026/master/3378.jpg?width=1200&height=630&quality=85&auto=format&fit=crop&overlay-align=bottom%2Cleft&overlay-width=100p&overlay-base64=L2ltZy9zdGF0aWMvb3ZlcmxheXMvdGctZGVmYXVsdC5wbmc&enable=upscale&s=6219698f4e7ea01885761e1cdec226df)
Covid: The Mexican villages refusing to vaccinate
Residents in remote Mexican towns are being influenced by lies and rumours swirling around on WhatsApp.
![](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/branded_news/15BEF/production/_119517098_gettyimages-1213732858.jpg)
The Italian disinformation networks flying under Facebook’s radar - Coda Story
A network of websites and Facebook pages sharing articles containing anti-vaccine disinformation and conspiracy theories about the pandemic highlights the online spread of misleading narratives about Covid-19 in Italy
![](https://www.codastory.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/cropped-LogoWeb2021Transparent-1-270x270.png)
![](https://www.codastory.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Italy_covid_disinfo.jpeg)
Who is the ‘pizza king’? The secret language being used by anti-vaccine groups to skirt detection
Some anti-vaccination groups on Facebook are changing their names to euphemisms like “Dance Party” or “Dinner Party,” and using code words to fit those themes.
![](https://nodeassets.nbcnews.com/cdnassets/projects/ramen/favicon/nbcnews/all-other-sizes-PNG.ico/android-icon-192x192.png)
![](https://media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com/image/upload/t_nbcnews-fp-1200-630,f_auto,q_auto:best/rockcms/2021-07/210720-anti-vaxx-facebook-2x1-cs-eb9bae.jpg)
Pseudoscience and COVID-19 — we’ve had enough already
The scientific community must take up cudgels in the battle against bunk.
![](https://www.nature.com/static/images/favicons/nature/apple-touch-icon.f39cb19454.png)
![](https://media.nature.com/lw1024/magazine-assets/d41586-020-01266-z/d41586-020-01266-z_17931804.jpg)
There’s a new tactic for exposing you to radical content online: the ‘slow red-pill’ | Joshua Citarella
The far right is trying to funnel people on Instagram to extreme content with a few simple tricks. Here’s how they do it
![](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4968f339eafda60c3fe3cf6c21dff0261a9ce1d9/0_132_3958_2375/master/3958.jpg?width=1200&height=630&quality=85&auto=format&fit=crop&overlay-align=bottom%2Cleft&overlay-width=100p&overlay-base64=L2ltZy9zdGF0aWMvb3ZlcmxheXMvdGctb3BpbmlvbnMucG5n&enable=upscale&s=2ee5491b5e48e26381886855367f9f41)
The Real Problem with Facebook Virality
Why objective journalism loses against partisan content
![](https://bucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/3e64a55a-260a-4273-941f-78b41ac3042a/apple-touch-icon-1024x1024.png)
![](https://cdn.substack.com/image/fetch/w_1200,c_limit,f_jpg,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5c99b70e-a652-473f-a184-38196cb59424_7000x4672.jpeg)
- The Washington Post
The Washington Post
![](https://www.washingtonpost.com/pbox.php?url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/pb/resources/img/twp-social-share.png&w=1484&op=resize&opt=1&filter=antialias&t=20170517)
Bonus Long Read:
What Makes a Cult a Cult?
The line between delusion and what the rest of us believe may be blurrier than we think.
![](https://media.newyorker.com/photos/60ddf9a454673ca79c7402e3/16:9/w_1280,c_limit/210712_r38654.jpg)
The Anti-Vaccine Influencers Who Are Merely Asking Questions
Institutional experts haven’t adapted to today’s media ecosystem. Other commentators are filling the gap.
![](https://cdn.theatlantic.com/_next/static/images/apple-touch-icon-152x152-aafde20dd981a38fcd549b29b2b3b785.png)
![](https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/PeZ4872Ka7hjtIOI9rntqpWzync=/0x20:1024x553/960x500/media/img/mt/2021/04/20CD5B3E_936C_4B70_84FD_EB9E0E7CBE9F/original.jpg)
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