| Description |
Social media remains a dominant force in today's society, impacting nearly every aspect of daily life and shaping how information is shared and consumed. Unfortunately, for individuals wishing to improve their knowledge on various topics, online platforms may not be the place to seek trustworthy information. These sites and social media platforms are commonly seen as a vessel for relaying quality health information, which can be the case in many instances. However, social media may not be the most reliable for enhancing someone's knowledge about health information. Individuals turn to social media for health information, but this may not always be helpful, because health information on social media is often inaccurate. Cancer misinformation is very prevalent in all aspects of life, regardless of age, gender, or specific diagnoses. Because it is very easy for patients with cancer and caregivers to look up cancer information on social media, it is important to understand how they perceive misleading and inaccurate information they view online.. Through the Cancer misInformation Research among Caregivers and patiEnts (CIRCLE) Study, we investigated how sociodemographics, cancer factors, and conspiratorial thinking are associated with participants' self report of cancer misinformation exposure on social media. Participants were eligible for the study if they were a caregiver for a patient with cancer and over the age of 18, or if they had been diagnosed with cancer and were currently between the ages of 15-39 for patients. A total of 21 individuals participated, and we found that most participants (57.1%, n=12) encountering cancer-related misinformation on social media were female (75%, n=9), Non-Hispanic White (91.7%, n=11), and primarily patients (91.7%, n=11) rather than caregivers. Of patients who had viewed misinformation, 25% were diagnosed before age 30. Those who were diagnosed with carcinomas, the most common cancer type, encountered the most misinformation about treatments and nutrition. Facebook and Instagram were the leading sources of misinformation, likely because they are the most common platforms of use. These findings highlight the importance of understanding why misinformation spreads on social media and how to limit its impact on vulnerable populations. |
