Misinformation is a plague in modern society.
Algorithms feed content that promotes false information and distrust in scientific fact. Politicians and businessmen use their personal social media accounts to blast the latest conspiracy theory to millions of followers. However, misinformation isn’t a new problem. Its existence predates modern science.
When Galileo Galilei stood trial against the Catholic Church for claiming the Earth rotated around the Sun, he was criminalized for believing the truth. Science denialism and skepticism originated centuries ago, yet it is still as prevalent as ever.
In the United States, distrust of science stems from its very roots. The earliest years of American scientific discovery resulted from studies performed on slaves. Known as the “father of modern gynecology,” James Marion Sims performed unconsented surgeries without anesthesia on enslaved Black women through which he discovered various tools and surgical practices for women’s reproductive health.
Starting in 1932, the U.S. Public Health Service conducted an Untreated Syphilis Study at Tuskegee University. Doctors in this study observed untreated syphilis in Black men over 25 years old without informed consent or any kind of treatment, despite the introduction of penicillin in the 1940s. After treatment was discovered, the study continued for another thirty years, ending in 1972.
In the ‘90s, tobacco companies paid scientists to confuse the American public about the cancerous effects of smoking tobacco. Because studies in the mid-20th century showed these hazardous properties, the tobacco industry retaliated by manipulating the public through marketing strategies to bring in more profits.
In short, high-ranking professionals in medicine and business molded American skepticism into what it is today. People in power repeatedly surrender the wellbeing of the American people to corporate greed. However, the innovation of algorithmic social media has only amplified this skepticism and distrust.
Social media spreads doubt and false information because the algorithmic nature promotes communication between like-minded individuals. When you don’t have a natural balance of differing opinions, you form an echo chamber where others reaffirm your thoughts and beliefs. One online skeptic quickly becomes many as they flock together.
Anti-vaccine content trends regularly on social media because people like Robert F. Kennedy Jr. platform the topic. Kennedy speaks on podcasts about his anti-vaccine beliefs, with some podcast episodes reaching millions of views. NBC News found he highlighted medical misinformation in at least 14 episodes on Spotify. Kennedy draws attention to the topic on all of his pages. The Center for Countering Digital Hate also named Kennedy as one of the “Disinformation Dozen,” a group of 12 leading anti-vaccine influencers online.
Kennedy’s history in anti-vaccine activism spans back several years. In 2018, he visited Samoa and met with key anti-vaccine leaders on what experts call a disinformation campaign. The country in Oceania also dealt with a medical scandal that same year, when two nurses [administered a vaccine mixed with expired muscle relaxant](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/dec/18/these-babies-should-not-have-died-how-the-measles-outbreak-took-hold-in-samoa#:~:text=Four years ago%2C roughly 85,to babies who subsequently died.) instead of water, killing two babies. Both these factors combined built distrust of vaccines and led to a record low vaccine rate of just 31% in 2018.
When Kennedy’s presidential campaign failed, Americans sighed in relief as an imminent danger passed. Then President Trump announced Kennedy’s nomination for health secretary during his campaign, confirming his unsuitable role in the current administration. During Kennedy’s confirmation trial, he refused to admit that vaccines did not cause autism, despite Senator Bill Cassidy asking him to do so several times. However, he still passed the Senate panel vote 14-13.
On the day of the confirmation vote, President Trump posted on Truth Social, emphasizing his disregard for context, “20 years ago, Autism in children was 1 in 10,000. NOW IT’S 1 in 34. WOW! Something’s really wrong. We need BOBBY!!!” Scientists say the real cause for an increase in diagnoses comes from more awareness.
In an age where politicians lie more than ever and social media spreads misinformation faster than wildfire, it’s up to us to diligently fact-check all information we take in and ensure we aren’t spreading misinformation ourselves.
This article appeared in print on Page 11 of Vol. LIX Issue X, published Feb. 10, 2025.
