Polarisation and Disinformation in Brazil's COVID19 Vaccination Onset on X (former Twitter)

In January 2021, Brazil had a critical moment in its battle against the COVID-19 pandemic, marked by the beginning of the vaccination campaign. The country, facing a high number of deaths and transmission, was a battleground for polarised discussions, misinformation, and disinformation surrounding the vaccination effort. Much of this controversy was fuelled by the rhetoric of President Jair Bolsonaro, who advocated for unproven treatments rather than following scientific guidance. There was a significant political disagreement in Brazil concerning vaccines involving ex-President Jair Bolsonaro and previous São Paulo governor João Doria, who supported the first vaccine implemented in the nation, the Chinese CoronaVac. This study delved into the dynamics of polarisation and disinformation on X (former Twitter) and the front pages of two major Brazilian newspapers (Folha de S. Paulo and Estadão) during that pivotal month, coinciding with the first vaccinations on the 17th. Using data from X extracted with MeCodify, the research employed topic modeling and analysis of highly retweeted and commented tweets to understand the interplay between mainstream media events and their reflection in social media discussions. By correlating information collected from newspapers with data extracted from X, our study demonstrates that tensions between the Brazilian government and supranational entities influence social media engagement and usage patterns. The study revealed that X was important for polarisation and disinformation during this phase. Pro-government and opposition groups were sharply divided, each crafting its narrative regarding vaccination, with the pro-government group tending to disseminate misinformation and disinformation, while the opposition group primarily aimed to share scientific information and promote vaccination. Additionally, our findings suggest that the pro-government camp was more effective in controlling the narrative on X, with their tweets gaining greater reach and engagement.