Does Social Media Promote Health Misinformation? The Malaysian Scenario

Abstract

In Malaysia, social media such as MySpace, Twitter, LinkedIn, Flickr, Tumblr, Wikipedia, YouTube, Google Plus, and Facebook are the cheapest and easiest media platforms for consumers to access health information. In social media, the audiences will be presented with information on how to make self-diagnosis and select health products to treat their undesirable medical conditions. However, studies demonstrated the potential of social media to mislead audiences into believing that health products are safe and cost-effective. In contrast, the consumers might potentially encounter unwanted adverse drug events. It is even worse when the consumers experience emotional disturbance, financial loss, and physical damage. Therefore, this article will highlight the negative effect of social media on the healthcare system by pointing out an example of Nigella sativa. Hopefully, this article will alert the authorities to monitor social media for misleading health information.