Understanding online conversations about COVID-19 vaccine on Twitter: vaccine hesitancy amid the public health crisis

ABSTRACT Timely vaccination against COVID-19 can prevent many people from getting infected. However, given the disease novelty and fast vaccine development, some people are hesitant to vaccinate. Online social networks like Twitter produce huge amounts of public health information and may impact peoples’ vaccination decisions. Hence, it is important to understand the conversation around the COVID-19 vaccination through the lens of social media. The present study aimed to define the nature of a larger Twitter conversation around the COVID-19 vaccine and explored interaction patterns between Twitter users engaged in such a conversation. Results of this study show that mixed-emotions reactions and discussions about potential side effects and vaccine safety dominated the online conversation. Four main network clusters highlighted different groups of conversation stakeholders. This study findings emphasize the importance of Twitter surveillance and highlight conversational patterns and prevailing sentiments that dominate online social networks during a major health crisis.