A few short years ago, mRNA (messenger ribonucleic acid) was the subject of fundamental research, but it is now known as the basis for COVID-19 vaccines. At the same time, the concept has become linked—particularly on social media—to global conspiracy theories attributing nefarious motives to people associated with science. How did this happen? In our work, we use social media data to track evolving narratives empirically. By analyzing the terms that have become associated with mRNA on Twitter since early 2020, we have gained insight into how seemingly innocuous scientific concepts acquire sinister connotations through association. Understanding how this process occurs can be helpful in determining which countermeasures might be effective.
