Forbes October 6, 2021
Amid culture wars over masking, Covid-19 treatments, and vaccine mandates, many Americans are at a loss for who to trust when it comes to healthcare information.
With Facebook under new fire for putting profits over people based on a whistleblower’s testimony before Congress, it’s a wonder that anyone trusts social media platforms at all, especially in a healthcare context.
But according to new data released this week from PatientsLikeMe, an online patient community, 11% of Americans surveyed said they turn to social media when looking for reliable health information. Nearly one in ten (9%) also said they use social media to evaluate new treatment options and 7% seek information about medication side effects from social media.
While these numbers...