To try to counter misinformation on its site, Facebook has rules against posting information on vaccines that fact-checking groups or health authorities consider false. The dangers of false information about vaccines complicate the group’s work and Facebook’s.
Nearly 30 moderators scattered across multiple time zones keep a close watch on the comments and approve newcomers who want to join the group, which has about 77,000 members.īilowitz knows that some people feel stifled by Vaccine Talk’s guardrails, but she considers them essential for productive conversation. “Excessive complaining” about the group or how it’s run is off limits.
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Now, rules require people to be respectful, and the group offers tips on how to effectively back up claims with evidence. “It was not a civil discussion forum.” Many people - particularly those in the vast middle between strongly pro- or anti-vaccine views - tuned out. The initial idea was to be a place for anything-goes conversations. Vaccine Talk started more than four years ago and focused mostly on childhood vaccines like measles. Bilowitz said the overseers of Vaccine Talk, like others who run online groups, worked hard to forge a healthy culture and design and enforce codes of conduct. The irony of building great online communities is that if they’re working, they can seem effortless. “We’re not here to preach at people, but when people are hesitant about vaccines and they find information that helps them become confident in their decision - honestly, that is the No. “It is extremely rewarding when people tell us that the group helped them,” Bilowitz said. I asked why she devoted so much time to a volunteer role in which she’s occasionally yelled at by strangers. Bilowitz, who is a parent and works in real estate, said that she spent roughly 10 to 15 hours a week on the Facebook group. Consider this newsletter one step to bring them more notice. In my ideal world, the best online community hosts would be as famous as Mark Zuckerberg. Vaccine Talk shows that our online experiences are shaped by the people who run our favorite Facebook group, Nextdoor neighborhood gathering, Reddit parenting forum or Discord book group. Facebook acknowledges that Vaccine Talk is the kind of group that it wants on its site, but Bilowitz told me that the group’s overseers are constantly worried about being shut down. Vaccine Talk isn’t perfect, and the group’s work is fraught. I’ve gotten teary reading the compassionate replies to someone worried about Covid vaccinations harming a loved one recovering from cancer. You might imagine raging shout fests, but I’ve been watching Vaccine Talk since I read about the group in The Washington Post, and I’ve mostly seen discussions that are empathetic, civil and nuanced. One essential ingredient is people like Kate Bilowitz.īilowitz is a co-founder of a Facebook group called Vaccine Talk, which describes itself as an “evidence-based discussion forum” for people with varying beliefs about vaccinations to better understand one another. On Tech is hosting a virtual event this week for New York Times subscribers to talk over what makes healthy online communities tick and how to get more of them. We know that gatherings of humans on the internet can be either snarky and insensitive or welcoming and informative. This article is part of the On Tech newsletter.
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