Contextual Analysis

It is safe to say that every day through social media something new emerges. A new trend, something a celebrity said or did, the latest news happening in our area or around the globe. A recent event that I have heard and seen more about in the social setting is vaccinations. People are continually voicing their opinions and speaking out about whether or not they will chose to vaccinate their kids. Celebrities, parents, and scientists are all speaking up on the matter. What was it that started this huge anti-vaccination movement and how has it evolved into citizen journalism?

One main event that led to the anti-vaccination movement was that back in 1998 Andrew Wakefield published an article supporting the idea that there was a link between autism and vaccinations. Wakefield's findings were carried out and found out to be false data and has since been discredited.  While the findings were proven to be false, that doesn't change the fact that this data had and continues to be talked about. This is the base work for this idea, but it was celebrity Jenny McCarthy who in 2007 brought this idea into the light once again and became the poster woman for anti-vaccinations. After her two year old son was diagnosed with autism, Jenny claimed that vaccinations played a role in him developing his autism. From there she became the spark for this movement and it has spiraled to become a topic for debate in today's society. 

The physical context can be found all over the internet. There are websites, videos, and news articles showing Jenny speak out about her stance on vaccinations and autism. Having this information on the internet makes it quick and easy for anyone to access. Anyone can choose to talk about their opinion on this topic and post it so it is out there for all to see. Because the physical context made it easy for everyone to hear and read about this event, it makes it that much easier to spread their opinion on the matter.

The psychological context behind this topic is what I believe caused it to boom so quickly. It is a topic that has controversy, and it today's society many people want to fight against the norm or be able to speak out and voice their own opinion. When Jenny spoke out about this I believe she wanted us to feel what she felt when she found out her son Evan was diagnosed with autism. People are reacting to this and getting upset over what Jenny and others of the anti-vaccination movement have said. The reaction that Jenny received was not what she anticipated and a lot of negative feedback came back to her. She then later claimed that she was not anti-vaccination, just that she demands safer vaccinations. 

In an article from U.S. News room, it talks about how McCarthy and other celebrities choose to speak out about not vaccinating their kids. Dr. Sheedy, a spokesperson for Centers of Disease Controls says,

 "We are a victim of our own success. We’ve made these diseases disappear for the average person so the outcome of that is that parents don't necessarily feel threatened, they don't feel that urgency to get vaccinated.” 

In the midst of many people speaking out about their choice to be apart of the anti-vaccination movement, Dr. Sheedy realizes the application of what vaccinations in the past has done for us. We have made the diseases disappear and because of that, the need to get our kids vaccinated is no longer something we feel the need to do. This movement has either caused us to realize we are victims of our own success and agree with the anti-vaccination movement, or anger stirs up in us because we don't understand how one could simply choose to not vaccinate their kids.

The cultural context of this debate could affirm your position or stance, or go against what you believe. Speaking out against vaccines itself goes against the culture belief and value of pro-vaccines here in the United States. For many what McCarthy said affirmed their position for the need of vaccines. Science has proven that autism and vaccines have no correlation and many are not willing to disagree with the significant science findings. Because it does go against the cultural belief of many here, it was easy for many to speak out against McCarthy. After asking a question about what quality people looked for a spouse on Twitter to her followers, many responded with remarks relating back to vaccinations.

For many, myself included, I find McCarthy's words to affirm me in my position that vaccines are for the better. I think McCarthy should have done better research and find out the truth of what science has said on the matter and what it has proved to this point in time. This topic became personal to Jenny when her son was diagnosed with autism. However, I think going public with her opinion early on without doing proper science background make it easy for this topic to become citizen journalism. Anyone who is willing to put in the amount of time to look up research and read up on the topic can form an opinion and go against what Jenny was theorizing. Once she chose to voice her opinion, it became a topic for debate that citizens could become involved in and share their opinion. Anyone could now become a journalist and research and write about the topic. 

When it comes to the social context it is easy to see that their is a bias and automatic predispositions when it comes to the topic. Not only for myself, but for others as well. We have grown up in a society where vaccinations is something we all get from the moment we are born. To even start school certain shots are required to protect us from getting diseases and sicknesses. Growing up in an a country that puts a high push on vaccinations we have automatic predispositions when it comes to this topic. Vaccinations are here to help us and keep us safer in the long run. This is what we have been taught to believe and seen as true for many of us. Jenny McCarthy and anyone involved in the anti-vaccination movement is going against what we have grown up and been taught is right. There is obviously a bias when it comes to pro-vaccination. 

The temporal context of this event plays a huge impact in turning this event into citizen journalism. Immediacy played a giant factor in turning what Jenny McCarthy said into a giant movement. After speaking out about being anti-vaccinations, or as she claims "pro-safe vaccinations," the word was able to spread like wild fire. Jenny is use to being in the spotlight and after this, it definitely didn't decrease any. She was able to use her popularity or celebrity status to draw even more attention to what she said and what she wanted to achieve. She was being interviewed, articles about her popped up and even to this day still do. The word was able to be spread quickly through media. including social, and was backed by a celebrity. Below is a clip from CNN covering this news story at that time. 

 For many it stirred up ideas that went against what they believed and made it a topic that many could debate on. Because what Jenny said went against what science has proven to be wrong, for many it was a chance to speak up and downgrade McCarthy in any way they could. It was not just a topic that people were able to speak up and voice their opinion on, but they were also able to insult McCarthy and anyone who agreed with her. This topic is something everyone could choose to put their two scents in on. Educated or not, spiteful or not, it was a chance to speak out. Many took the chance to do just this, just as Jenny McCarthy did.