Using Twitter to Understand COVID-19 Vaccine-Related Ageism during the Pandemic.
Juanita-Dawne R BacsuMelissa K AndrewMehrnoosh AziziCorinne BergerAllison CammerAlison L ChasteenSarah Anne FraserKarl S GrewalShoshana GreenRory Gowda-SookochoffJasmine Cassy MahKatherine S McGiltonLaura MiddletonKate NansonRaymond J SpiteriYikai TangMegan E O'ConnellPublished in: The Gerontologist (2023)
Our findings exposed issues of victim-blaming, hate speech, pejorative content, and ageist political slander that is deepening the divide of intergenerational conflict. Although a subset of tweets countered negative outcomes and demonstrated intergenerational solidarity, our findings suggest that ageism may have contributed to COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among older adults. Consequently, urgent action is needed to counter vaccine misinformation, prohibit aggressive messaging, and promote intergenerational unity during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.