biostudies-literatureDrapeau Picard APMinistero dell'Università e della Ricercae0308169https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC11498699biostudies-literatureUnknown19(10)Fear of spiders is a widespread condition often disproportionate to the actual danger spiders pose to humans. Likely rooted in evolutionary history, fear of spiders might also have a cultural component. Recent studies have shown that a significant fraction of spider-related media reports are misleading and sensationalistic. Information-seeking behaviours serve as common coping mechanisms for our fears and anxieties, yet the link between spider-related news stories and such behaviors remains unexplored.We hypothesize that media reports foster concern about spiders, resulting in an increased awareness of spiders and health issues associated with them. We extracted 1486 reports in English from a public database providing a content-analysis of spider-related online traditional media reports puPloS oneThe influence of spider news on online information-seeking.PMC11498699CN00000033Chuang AScott CDrapeau Picard APMammola SfalseThe influence of spider news on online information-seeking.Fear of spiders is a widespread condition often disproportionate to the actual danger spiders pose to humans. Likely rooted in evolutionary history, fear of spiders might also have a cultural component. Recent studies have shown that a significant fraction of spider-related media reports are misleading and sensationalistic. Information-seeking behaviours serve as common coping mechanisms for our fears and anxieties, yet the link between spider-related news stories and such behaviors remains unexplored.We hypothesize that media reports foster concern about spiders, resulting in an increased awareness of spiders and health issues associated with them. We extracted 1486 reports in English from a public database providing a content-analysis of spider-related online traditional media reports pu2024-01-01T00:00:00Z20242025-04-04T02:22:00.733Z2025-04-04T02:22:00.733ZS-EPMC114986993944184410.1371/journal.pone.0308169