"Down the Rabbit Hole" of Vaccine Misinformation on YouTube: Network Exposure Study.

BACKGROUND: Social media platforms such as YouTube are hotbeds for the spread of misinformation about vaccines. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to explore how individuals are exposed to antivaccine misinformation on YouTube based on whether they start their viewing from a keyword-based search or from antivaccine seed videos. METHODS: Four networks of videos based on YouTube recommendations were collected in November 2019. Two search networks were created from provaccine and antivaccine keywords to resemble goal-oriented browsing. Two seed networks were constructed from conspiracy and antivaccine expert seed videos to resemble direct navigation. Video contents and network structures were analyzed using the network exposure model. RESULTS: Viewers are more likely to encounter antivaccine videos through direct navigation starting from an antivaccine video than through goal-oriented browsing. In the two seed networks, provaccine videos, antivaccine videos, and videos containing health misinformation were all found to be more likely to lead to more antivaccine videos. CONCLUSIONS: YouTube has boosted the search rankings of provaccine videos to combat the influence of antivaccine information. However, when viewers are directed to antivaccine videos on YouTube from another site, the recommendation algorithm is still likely to expose them to additional antivaccine information.

The Making of an Addiction: Examining Psychological Determinants of Prescription Stimulant Abuse among College Students.

Diagnoses of attention-deficit-disorders and stimulant prescriptions to treat these disorders (e.g., Adderall) are on the rise. The non-medical use of such stimulants (NUPS) as 'study drugs' has increased among college students, which aggravates the worsening prescription drug crisis in the U.S. This research examined the underlying psychological determinants of NUPS in order to inform effective health communication intervention efforts. It also tested potential individual-level characteristics that could influence such determinants in order to determine at-risk groups. This research utilized the reasoned action framework in a mixed-methods, two-study approach. Study 1 explored the underlying beliefs associated with intentions to engage in NUPS in an open-ended belief elicitation survey (N = 121), study 2 (N = 312) tested the psychological determinants of intentions and influencing individual-level characteristics in a quantitative survey. Results revealed (1) the top three unique attitudinal, normative, and control beliefs about NUPS; (2) instrumental attitude as strongest determinant of NUPS; (3) expectations of improved productivity, approval from friends and peers, access and financial means, peer pressure, and health risks as effective targets for effective health communication interventions; and (4) poor mental health, high levels of stress, and characteristics of perfectionism and sensation-seeking as aggravating risk factors among college students. Further implications and directions are discussed.

"I've never told anyone this, but...": First Tellings of College-Aged Women's Reproductive Healthcare Experiences.

Telling a story for the first time is a profound experience for both a storyteller and story-listener. This essay describes the significance of first tellings as a narrative event that captures the complexities of the untold stories about young women's reproductive healthcare experiences. Additionally, this essay identifies the importance of first-told stories and explores how the storyteller and story-listener grapple with these narrative events. It also considers how first tellings may affect story-listeners' roles and influence storytellers' identity construction and framing strategies for subsequent tellings of the same story.