  The COVID-19 pandemic exposed significant weaknesses in the healthcare
information system. The overwhelming volume of misinformation on social media
and other socioeconomic factors created extraordinary challenges to motivate
people to take proper precautions and get vaccinated. In this context, our work
explored a novel direction by analyzing an extensive dataset collected over two
years, identifying the topics de/motivating the public about COVID-19
vaccination. We analyzed these topics based on time, geographic location, and
political orientation. We noticed that while the motivating topics remain the
same over time and geographic location, the demotivating topics change rapidly.
We also identified that intrinsic motivation, rather than external mandate, is
more advantageous to inspire the public. This study addresses scientific
communication and public motivation in social media. It can help public health
officials, policymakers, and social media platforms develop more effective
messaging strategies to cut through the noise of misinformation and educate the
public about scientific findings.
