Bloomington-based Indiana University researchers collaborated with a team from Polytechnic University of Milan in Italy to create a publicly available dashboard that visualizes the relationship between misinformation on Twitter and COVID-19 vaccine acceptance, the university announced Feb. 23.
The tool, called CoVaxxy, allows users to customize various data visualizations such as charts, graphs and maps.
Examples include a visualization for the correlation between misinformation and the percentage of a state's population unwilling to receive COVID-19 vaccines, different states' vaccine uptake rates and which hashtags and websites are being shared in online conversations about vaccines.
"Misinformation isn't just a parlor game; it genuinely impacts people's lives, including their health choices and health outcomes," John Bryden, PhD, one of the researchers who worked on the project, said in a news release. "Sometimes the odd bit of misinformation seen just once is enough to give someone pause, and once the brain has made that link, the person becomes nervous about taking the vaccine."