Vaccine Narratives on Telegram: A Data-Driven Study of Information Diffusion in Brazil
Resumo
This study analyzes over 330,000 vaccine-related Telegram messages in Brazil (2020–2025) to investigate diffusion dynamics. Results show that diffusion is strongly associated with message exposure, with visibility dominating observed engagement patterns. Forwarding is consistently associated with higher redistribution and reach, while user reactions show limited association with propagation. Contrary to common assumptions, content volume and user activity are not consistently linked to higher engagement outcomes. These findings highlight Telegram’s broadcast-like dynamics providing insights into large-scale information spread in low-moderation environments, and offering empirical support for public health strategies.Referências
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Araújo, D. A. B. S., Correia, L. L., Lima, P. L. G. d. S. B., Vasconcelos, S. C., Farías-Antúnez, S., Gomes, Y. V. C., Nogueira, D. L., Castro, M. C., and Machado, M. M. T. (2024). Coverage and determinants of childhood vaccination during the covid-19 pandemic in fortaleza, northeastern brazil: a longitudinal analysis. Cadernos de Saúde Pública, 40:e00074723.
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Figueiredo Vasconcelos, F., Gomes Ferreira, C. H., Magno de Sousa, A., and Almeida, J. (2025). The role of curiosity in information dissemination on telegram: a case study from the 2022 brazilian elections. In Proceedings of the 17th ACM Web Science Conference 2025, pages 425–436.
Galhardi, C. P., Freire, N. P., Fagundes, M. C. M., Minayo, M. C. d. S., and Cunha, I. C. K. O. (2022). Fake news and vaccine hesitancy in the covid-19 pandemic in brazil. Ciência & Saúde Coletiva, 27:1849–1858.
Hammerla, N. Y., Kirkham, R., Andras, P., and Ploetz, T. (2013). On preserving statistical characteristics of accelerometry data using their empirical cumulative distribution. In Proceedings of the 2013 international symposium on wearable computers, pages 65–68.
Júnior, M., Melo, P., da Silva, A. P. C., Benevenuto, F., and Almeida, J. (2021). Towards understanding the use of telegram by political groups in brazil. In Proceedings of the Brazilian Symposium on Multimedia and the Web, pages 237–244.
Khadafi, R., Nurmandi, A., Qodir, Z., and Misran (2022). Hashtag as a new weapon to resist the covid-19 vaccination policy: a qualitative study of the anti-vaccine movement in brazil, usa, and indonesia. Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics, 18(1):2042135.
Massarani, L., Leal, T., and Waltz, I. (2020). The debate on vaccines in social networks: an exploratory analysis of links with the heaviest traffic. Cadernos de Saúde Pública, 36:e00148319.
Tokojima Machado, D. F., de Siqueira, A. F., and Gitahy, L. (2020). Natural stings: Selling distrust about vaccines on brazilian youtube. Frontiers in Communication, 5:577941.
Tucci, G. (2023). Identification of opinion leaders in a telegram network of forwarded messages. arXiv preprint arXiv:2312.16528.
Wilson, S. L. and Wiysonge, C. (2020). Social media and vaccine hesitancy. BMJ global health, 5(10).
Amaral, A. d. R., Jung, A.-K., Braun, L.-M., and Blanco, B. (2022). Narratives of anti-vaccination movements in the german and brazilian twittersphere: a grounded theory approach. Media and Communication, 10(2):144–156.
Araújo, D. A. B. S., Correia, L. L., Lima, P. L. G. d. S. B., Vasconcelos, S. C., Farías-Antúnez, S., Gomes, Y. V. C., Nogueira, D. L., Castro, M. C., and Machado, M. M. T. (2024). Coverage and determinants of childhood vaccination during the covid-19 pandemic in fortaleza, northeastern brazil: a longitudinal analysis. Cadernos de Saúde Pública, 40:e00074723.
Barkhad, A., de Almeida Santos, G., Roberto Costa Campos, S., Maria Almeida Braz, L., Picinini Freitas, L., Zinszer, K., de Souza, R., Waldron, I., Loeb, M., Luna, E., et al. (2026). Knowledge, attitudes, practices and perceptions of the eco-bio-social determinants of dengue transmission in são paulo, brazil: A mixed-methods study. Tropical Medicine & International Health, 31(1):58–79.
Cardenuto, J. P., Monari, A. C., Lopes, M., Filho, L. L., and Rocha, A. (2026). Brazilian social media anti-vaccine information disorder dataset - telegram (2020-2025). arXiv.org.
Cavalini, A., Malini, F., Gouveia, F., and Comarela, G. (2023). Politics and disinformation: Analyzing the use of telegram’s information disorder network in brazil for political mobilization. First Monday.
Cugler de Moraes Silva, E. (2024). Antivax and off-label medication communities on brazilian Telegram: between esotericism as a gateway and the monetization of false miraculous cures. arXiv e-prints, page arXiv:2408.15308.
Díaz, E. P. and Ricaurte, P. (2024). Doctors for the truth: Latin american antivaccine oppositional cultures on telegram. Big Data & Society, 11(4):20539517241306359.
Domingues, C. M. A. S., Maranhão, A. G. K., Teixeira, A. M., Fantinato, F. F., and Domingues, R. A. (2020). The brazilian national immunization program: 46 years of achievements and challenges. Cadernos de saude publica, 36:e00222919.
Figueiredo Vasconcelos, F., Gomes Ferreira, C. H., Magno de Sousa, A., and Almeida, J. (2025). The role of curiosity in information dissemination on telegram: a case study from the 2022 brazilian elections. In Proceedings of the 17th ACM Web Science Conference 2025, pages 425–436.
Galhardi, C. P., Freire, N. P., Fagundes, M. C. M., Minayo, M. C. d. S., and Cunha, I. C. K. O. (2022). Fake news and vaccine hesitancy in the covid-19 pandemic in brazil. Ciência & Saúde Coletiva, 27:1849–1858.
Hammerla, N. Y., Kirkham, R., Andras, P., and Ploetz, T. (2013). On preserving statistical characteristics of accelerometry data using their empirical cumulative distribution. In Proceedings of the 2013 international symposium on wearable computers, pages 65–68.
Júnior, M., Melo, P., da Silva, A. P. C., Benevenuto, F., and Almeida, J. (2021). Towards understanding the use of telegram by political groups in brazil. In Proceedings of the Brazilian Symposium on Multimedia and the Web, pages 237–244.
Khadafi, R., Nurmandi, A., Qodir, Z., and Misran (2022). Hashtag as a new weapon to resist the covid-19 vaccination policy: a qualitative study of the anti-vaccine movement in brazil, usa, and indonesia. Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics, 18(1):2042135.
Massarani, L., Leal, T., and Waltz, I. (2020). The debate on vaccines in social networks: an exploratory analysis of links with the heaviest traffic. Cadernos de Saúde Pública, 36:e00148319.
Tokojima Machado, D. F., de Siqueira, A. F., and Gitahy, L. (2020). Natural stings: Selling distrust about vaccines on brazilian youtube. Frontiers in Communication, 5:577941.
Tucci, G. (2023). Identification of opinion leaders in a telegram network of forwarded messages. arXiv preprint arXiv:2312.16528.
Wilson, S. L. and Wiysonge, C. (2020). Social media and vaccine hesitancy. BMJ global health, 5(10).
Publicado
01/06/2026
Como Citar
OLIVEIRA, Fernando H. M. de; RODRIGUES, Cleyton Mário de O..
Vaccine Narratives on Telegram: A Data-Driven Study of Information Diffusion in Brazil. In: WORKSHOP ON MINING DIGITAL AND SOCIAL SIGNALS FOR PUBLIC HEALTH - SIMPÓSIO BRASILEIRO DE COMPUTAÇÃO APLICADA À SAÚDE (SBCAS), 26. , 2026, Ouro Preto/MG.
Anais [...].
Porto Alegre: Sociedade Brasileira de Computação,
2026
.
p. 373-382.
ISSN 2763-8987.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5753/sbcas_estendido.2026.25323.
