Evidence vs. Engagement: Are Health Influencers Credible?

"Where Instagram used to just be a source of life hacks and relatable moments to make you smile, over 50% of Americans turn to social media for health advice, rather than medical sources. When it comes to health, there has never been more demand for your attention. Over 70% of young adults in the US follow influencers and almost half of them have purchased products based on their recommendations."

"Is our reliance on health influencers a bad thing? Who is influencing us when it comes to our health? Often we see familiar faces from TV and media, who are suddenly advising us on everything from mental health to physical symptoms. Conditions that take doctors and health professionals years to learn how to diagnose, treat and monitor are being distilled into soundbites, with a snappy hook and a soundtrack, to catch our ever draining attention."

"Raising awareness about health can have many benefits. However, the qualifications of the person advising may be limited to their own individual experience as opposed to the objective view of scientific training and rigour. Whilst our experiences of illness and symptoms are the most important thing we have as patients, for these to be investigated, treated and managed, we usually need more than a Reddit thread."

Over 50% of Americans turn to social media for health advice rather than medical sources. Over 70% of young adults in the US follow influencers and almost half have purchased products based on recommendations. In Austria, over 80% of young people (15–25) watch health-related influencers and over 10% have bought medications and self-tests after watching them. Seventy-seven percent of that group turned to a health influencer for information. There is no formal qualification or exam required to become an influencer. Short, attention-grabbing content can oversimplify complex conditions and personal experience can replace scientific training, introducing bias and limiting proper investigation, diagnosis, treatment, and management.

Read at Psychology Today