Browsing by Subject "Social Media"
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Item Open Access Countering misinformation via WhatsApp: Preliminary evidence from the COVID-19 pandemic in Zimbabwe.(PloS one, 2020-01) Bowles, Jeremy; Larreguy, Horacio; Liu, ShelleyWe examine how information from trusted social media sources can shape knowledge and behavior when misinformation and mistrust are widespread. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic in Zimbabwe, we partnered with a trusted civil society organization to randomize the timing of the dissemination of messages aimed at targeting misinformation about the virus to 27,000 newsletter WhatsApp subscribers. We examine how exposure to these messages affects individuals' beliefs about how to deal with the virus and preventative behavior. In a survey of 864 survey respondents, we find a 0.26σ increase in knowledge about COVID-19 as measured by responses to factual questions. Through a list experiment embedded in the survey, we further find that potentially harmful behavior-not abiding by lockdown guidelines-decreased by 30 percentage points. The results show that social media messaging from trusted sources may have substantively large effects not only on individuals' knowledge but also ultimately on related behavior.Item Open Access Evaluating the Distribution, Quality, and Educational Value of Videos Related to Shoulder Instability Exercises on the Social Media Platform TikTok.(Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Global research & reviews, 2023-06) Bethell, Mikhail A; Anastasio, Albert T; Taylor, Joshua R; Tabarestani, Troy Q; Klifto, Christopher S; Anakwenze, OkeBackground
Because of the lack of scientific oversight, the quality, applicability, and consistency of healthcare-related TikTok videos have become a focus of research exploration. The orthopaedic surgery literature lags behind other medical fields in analyzing the widespread utilization of TikTok videos for medical information delivery.Methods
TikTok was queried using the hashtag #shoulderstabilityexercises, and 109 videos were included. The videos were collected by two authors and independently evaluated using DISCERN (a well-validated informational analysis tool) and shoulder stability exercise education score (a self-designed tool for the evaluation of shoulder instability-related exercises).Results
DISCERN scores of videos uploaded by general users had significantly lower scores in all four categories than those uploaded by healthcare professionals (P < 0.001, P = 0.005, P = 0.002, and P < 0.001). For the shoulder stability exercise education score, general users had a significantly lower score than the healthcare professionals at 3.36 and 4.91 on a 25-point scale, respectively (P = 0.034). General users had more videos graded as very poor (84.2%) in comparison to the number of videos uploaded by healthcare professionals deemed very poor (51.5%). However, the remainder of healthcare professionals had their videos graded as poor (48.5%).Conclusion
Despite slightly improved video quality from healthcare professionals, the overall educational of the videos related to shoulder instability exercises was poor.Item Open Access Exposure to opposing views on social media can increase political polarization.(Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2018-09) Bail, Christopher A; Argyle, Lisa P; Brown, Taylor W; Bumpus, John P; Chen, Haohan; Hunzaker, MB Fallin; Lee, Jaemin; Mann, Marcus; Merhout, Friedolin; Volfovsky, AlexanderThere is mounting concern that social media sites contribute to political polarization by creating "echo chambers" that insulate people from opposing views about current events. We surveyed a large sample of Democrats and Republicans who visit Twitter at least three times each week about a range of social policy issues. One week later, we randomly assigned respondents to a treatment condition in which they were offered financial incentives to follow a Twitter bot for 1 month that exposed them to messages from those with opposing political ideologies (e.g., elected officials, opinion leaders, media organizations, and nonprofit groups). Respondents were resurveyed at the end of the month to measure the effect of this treatment, and at regular intervals throughout the study period to monitor treatment compliance. We find that Republicans who followed a liberal Twitter bot became substantially more conservative posttreatment. Democrats exhibited slight increases in liberal attitudes after following a conservative Twitter bot, although these effects are not statistically significant. Notwithstanding important limitations of our study, these findings have significant implications for the interdisciplinary literature on political polarization and the emerging field of computational social science.Item Open Access How Misinformation Research Can Mask Relationship Gaps that Undermine Public Health Response.(American journal of health promotion : AJHP, 2022-03) Calac, Alec J; Southwell, Brian GItem Open Access Navigating the Social Media Landscape(2024-05-01) Blanding, ErinHow does the TikTok algorithm know what you are thinking before you even search it up? How do influencers rise to popularity? What does it take to capture a digital audience's attention in a saturated online atmosphere? Given the trajectory of artificial intelligence and its proliferation online, will there be any way to distinguish what is “real” and what is “fake”? Navigating the current social media landscape for creators and brands alike is a constantly evolving game of attempting to work with the algorithm instead of against it. TikTok’s “for you” feed revolutionized social media by prioritizing predictions of what users would want to see, rather than curating content they have already expressed an interest in. This has changed the way many popular social media platforms have organized their content. In combination with recommendations backed by unthinkable amounts of data, users are inundated with a never ending stream of addicting media that can have consequences socially and financially. This thesis delves into the relationship between content, data and data privacy concerns, artificial intelligence, and digital strategy as it relates to both individuals and companies in an ever changing, deeply interconnected digital environment.Item Open Access News coverage about aspirin as a countervailing force against low-dose aspirin campaign promotion.(Translational behavioral medicine, 2021-10) Southwell, Brian G; Duval, Sue; Luepker, Russell V; Oldenburg, Niki; Van't Hof, Jeremy; Eder, Milton; Russell, Carol; Graves, Robert N; Finnegan, JohnOrganized health promotion efforts sometimes compete with news media, social media, and other sources when providing recommendations for healthy behavior. In recent years, patients have faced a complicated information environment regarding aspirin use as a prevention tool for heart health. We explored the possibility that campaign promotion of low-dose aspirin use might have been undermined by news coverage in the USA detailing controversies regarding aspirin use. Using time series data on low-dose aspirin sales in Minnesota, USA, we assessed whether news coverage of aspirin or audience engagement with the Ask About Aspirin campaign website predicted subsequent changes in low-dose aspirin sales, over and above any secular trend. News coverage predicted actual low-dose aspirin purchases whereas exposure to a state-level campaign did not. While a campaign effort to encourage people at risk to discuss low-dose aspirin use with their health care providers did not generate substantive changes in low-dose aspirin tablet sales in the areas of Minnesota monitored for this study, past news coverage about aspirin use, including news about negative side effects, may have suppressed low-dose aspirin sales during this same period. The extent of news coverage about aspirin and heart health had a negative effect on tablet sales recorded in greater Minnesota approximately a month later in an ARIMA time series model, coefficient = -.014, t = -2.33, p = .02. Presented evidence of news coverage effect suggests health campaign assessment should consider trends in the public information environment as potential countervailing forces.Item Open Access Websites or Videos: Which Offer Better Information for Patients? A Comparative Analysis of the Quality of YouTube Videos and Websites for Cosmetic Injectables.(Plastic and reconstructive surgery, 2022-03) Patel, Anooj A; Mulvihill, Lianne; Jin, Alison; Patel, Ashit; Galiano, Robert DBackground
YouTube is used by more than 70 percent of adults and 81 percent of 15- to 25-year-olds. The information quality of videos related to the two most performed aesthetic procedures-botulinum toxin type A (Botox) and soft-tissue filler injections-has not been assessed or compared to that of websites.Methods
A YouTube search for "Botox" and "fillers" was performed in July of 2020, identifying the most popular health information videos. Quality was assessed using the validated Journal of American Medical Association, Health on the Net principles, and the DISCERN criteria in addition to a procedure-specific content score. Quality scores were compared between different groups of video contributors and against websites.Results
A total of 720 measurements of quality were performed across 95 YouTube videos and 85 websites. The mean quality scores were as follows: Journal of the American Medical Association, 1.74/4 ± 0.718; Health on the Net, 6.66/16 ± 2.07; DISCERN, 40.0/80 ± 9.25; and content, 39.1/100 ± 11.9. Physician, nonphysician health professionals, and other (news, magazine channels, and influencers) were all of higher quality than patient-based videos (p < 0.001). The mean DISCERN percentage score for videos was 50.04 ± 11.57 and significantly less than that of websites, 55.46 ± 15.74 (p = 0.010). The mean content scores showed a similar result, 39.06 ± 11.92 versus 60.76 ± 17.65 (p < 0.001), respectively.Conclusions
Improvement is needed in the quality of YouTube videos related to aesthetic injectables. Plastic surgeons, who are the most frequent video contributors, are most qualified to provide this change. Plastic surgeons should include videos as part of their online presence, as they may help facilitate a greater viewership.Item Open Access What's in a Name? Implicit Bias Affects Patient Perception of Surgeon Skill.(Plastic and reconstructive surgery, 2021-06) Bhat, Deepa; Kollu, Tejas; Ricci, Joseph A; Patel, AshitBackground
Implicit bias is the unconscious associations and beliefs held toward specific demographic groups. Instagram is commonly used by plastic surgeons to market their practice. This study investigates whether a surgeon's name on a social media platform influences perception of their competence and their likelihood of gaining a new patient.Methods
A mock Instagram post was created using before-and-after photographs of a breast augmentation patient. Eight different ethnicities were selected, and common female and male names were selected based on U.S. Census data for each ethnicity. Surveys using the Instagram post were distributed asking responders to evaluate the competency of the surgeon and how likely they are to become a patient of that plastic surgeon. The surgeon's name was the only variable in the survey.Results
A total of 2965 survey responses were analyzed. The majority of responders were Caucasian (57 percent); 55 percent were men and 45 percent were women. Overall, competence and recruitment likelihood scores between surgeons of different ethnicities were not significantly different. Caucasian and Latinx responders both assigned higher competence and recruitment likelihood scores to their own respective ethnicities.Conclusions
Implicit bias plays a role in whether or not a patient is likely to seek care from a surgeon with an ethnically identifiable name. The two most common cosmetic surgery demographic groups, Caucasians and Latinxs, were also the only two ethnic groups to display in-group favoritism. Public education should be directed toward surgeon qualifications and experience in an effort to reduce implicit bias on patient decision-making.