Medical misinformation on social media—are the platforms equipped to be the ȷudge?

Social media and the internet are the first port of call for many people with ailments or questions about their health. YouTube reports that health videos on the platform were viewed more than three billion times in the UK last year.Users are as likely to encounter ordinary people passing comment on the latest research or offering advice as they are to find fully qualified professionals. Science is increasingly being taken out of the hands of experts—and expert communicators—and into the hands of ordinary people, as has long happened on social media.The pandemic has catalysed the production of more health specific information, says Vishaal Virani, YouTube’s UK health lead, who liaises with the health sector, but “there was definitely some of that happening pre-pandemic . . . On the lifestyle and nutrition side of things, it’s been going on for quite a while.” TikTok has its own team of policy leads,…
Read Original Article: Medical misinformation on social media—are the platforms equipped to be the ȷudge? »