Discovering why people believe disinformation about healthcare.

ABSTRACT: Disinformation-false information intended to cause harm or for profit-is pervasive. While disinformation exists in several domains, one area with great potential for personal harm from disinformation is healthcare. The amount of disinformation about health issues on social media has grown dramatically over the past several years, particularly in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The study described in this paper sought to determine the characteristics of multimedia social network posts that lead them to believe and potentially act on healthcare disinformation. The study was conducted in a neuroscience laboratory in early 2022. Twenty-six study participants each viewed a series of 20 either honest or dishonest social media posts, dealing with various aspects of healthcare. They were asked

SUBMITTER: George JF 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10956743 | biostudies-literature | 2024

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature