Comprehending the Characteristics and Effects of the Health Misinformation - A Study Among Social Media Users

Abstract

Social media has become the most accessible and considered to be trustworthy media for accessing health related information with immediacy. This has led to the creation, development and spread of misinformation too. Prevalence of misinformation can be detrimental to the quality of life and sometimes may lead to even death and hence it becomes more essential to understand the complexities of dealing with such misinformation. Being aware of the menace of the situation, we also recognize the need to fight against misinformation. For this purpose, we need to focus on categorization of the main topics of health misinformation and an all-inclusive depiction of their pervasiveness on various social media, the influence it has on the minds and health behavior of people. Such a detailed analysis will enable us to develop future digital policy action plans towards misinformation. Against this background the objectives of the study are to identify the characteristics of health misinformation on social media; and the factors that influence the people’s belief and behavior towards health misinformation circulated online. A descriptive survey with convenience sampling technique among social media users will be applied for understanding how various people perceive and are susceptible to the problems of misinformation. Proper understanding of the features of health misinformation in the social media will facilitate us to focus on the measured ways to eradicate the fatal impact of misinformation. Our perceptions on the misinformation that prevails in the fields of health and emergency management will improve through the data gathered and presented in this study.