Identifying Credible Sources of Health Information in Social Media: Principles and Attributes
2021
Social media is widely used as a source of health information for the general public. The potential for information shared through social media to influence health outcomes necessitates action by social media platforms to enhance access and exposure to high-quality, science-based information.
This paper summarizes the work of an independent advisory group convened by the National Academy of Medicine that deliberated and gathered information to develop a set of initial principles and attributes that could inform platforms’ identification and possible elevation of credible sources of health information. Using these principles and attributes as a framework, the authors discuss the likelihood of credibility among major categories and types of nonprofit and government organizations that share health information through social media.
The need for parallel strategies in addition to source evaluation is also emphasized, including assessment of content, as well as important ethical considerations such as the protection of free speech and individual autonomy. The paper also stresses that, in order to be considered credible themselves, social media platforms should share data with behavioral and public health researchers to understand the effects of such policies on both online and offline behaviors.
This description was extracted from the publication abstract.
Identifying Credible Sources of Health Information in Social Media: Principles and Attributes
Source:
Kington RS, Arnesen S, Sylvia Chou W-Y et al. Identifying Credible Sources of Health Information in Social Media: Principles and Attributes. Discussion Paper. National Academy of Medicine 2021. https://doi.org/10.31478/202107a