The political economy of digital profiteering: communication resource mobilization by anti-vaccination actors.

This article examines the political economy of health misinformation by analyzing how 59 anti-vaccination groups mobilize material resources through their digital infrastructures. It identifies three overlapping monetization strategies—those resembling radical social movements (e.g., membership dues and donations), online celebrities (e.g., advertising and merchandise sales), and junk news websites (primarily advertising)—which combine into hybrid resource mobilization approaches. The study finds that donations are the most common funding method, often facilitated by platforms like PayPal, while advertising and membership fees are less prevalent. Additionally, linked networks of websites promote both anti-vaccination content and related commercial products such as health supplements. The authors argue that understanding these hybrid monetization strategies is crucial for developing effective interventions to disrupt the financial and infrastructural support sustaining misinformation campaigns.