Resource Review - Social Media and Vaccine Rejection Essay

Resource Review - Social Media and Vaccine Rejection - Essay Example What is social media’s role in all of this? Traditionally, geographic proximity was necessary for mobilizing anti-vaccination forces. However, social media has circumvented this potential barrier, allowing individuals from disparate regions who likely would not have otherwise communicated to come into contact. In this process, individuals who had otherwise had their viewpoints rejected and been marginalized can be emboldened and can feel empowered. Social media also provides these individuals with new dynamic mechanisms to communicate their viewpoints. Researchers have observed this in several ways while studying vaccine concerns. 7 Vaccination is an important aspect of modern medicine and has been used to avert adverse effects of many diseases. It is believed that vaccines have saved more lives across the world more than any other medical product. The history of vaccination can be traced to 429 BC when the Greek historian, Thucydides noted that those who suffered from small pox in Athens were not re-infected with the disease. During the 900 AD, Chinese discovered and used a vaccination form called variolation which was carried as early as 10th century but was most used between 14th and 17th centuries (Hsu, 2012). The technology used to prevent people from small pox during this time was exposing healthy individuals to tissue from the disease’s scabs. Even though variolation caused mild illness and sometimes death, the rate of small pox infections were lower in many populations. During 1796, Dr. Edward Jenner, a British physician discovered the modern vaccination and proved to the medical professionals that it worked. This led to the support for vaccination in 1803 and founding of the Royal Jennerian institute which popularize vaccination in Europe and United States (Hsu, 2012). However, during 1870s, vaccination encountered violent oppositions as it spreads since