The internet can be a questionable source of information given the overwhelming amount of multimedia with a lack of referencing and organizational conventions (Keshavarz, 2014). Determining the trustworthiness and expertise of authors can be difficult. Keshavarz (2014) argues that the assessment of credibility is now a task for information seekers as opposed to information providers. Some researchers believe there is a difference between misinformation and disinformation (Keshavarz, 2014). The latter requires deliberate manipulation of the truth with the intent of misleading the audience (Keshavarz, 2014). Disinformation is used to purposefully confuse or deceive, and its distribution is a popular tactic used by politicians (Keshavarz, 2014). Spreading false information can be partially attributed to a lack of central authority, ease of data malleability, and human psychology (Keshavarz, 2014). Common traditional causes of misinformation include bias, removal from context, misconduct, and human error (Keshavarz, 2014). Curating information from reliable sources is a skill that requires critical thinking and information literacy. The ability to find credible information is particularly important when it comes to health.
It has been shown that searching for answers to health-related questions can make you feel worse or leave you less informed (Pogazar et al., 2017). Reviewing some of the top search results and creating an impression can cause cyberchondria (Crowe, 2018). This term refers to the excessive anxiety caused from searching symptoms on the web or looking up medical information (Crowe, 2018). Having access to incorrect health information can negatively influence people and result in them making harmful decisions (Pogazar et al., 2017). In one study, search engine results were controlled and biased towards correct or incorrect information (Pogazar et al., 2017). Following the search, participants were asked to categorize the effectiveness of 10 medical treatments (Pogazar et al., 2017). If the medical treatment was felt to be effective and had a positive influence on the specified illness, it was categorized as “Helps.” (Pogazar et al., 2017). If medical professionals were unsure if the treatment had a positive, negative, or no influence on the specified illness, then the treatment should’ve been categorized as “Inconclusive.” (Pogazar et al., 2017). Finally, if the treatment was considered ineffective and either had no effect or had a direct negative influence on the specified illness then it belonged in the category “Does not help.” (Pogazar et al., 2017). The study concluded that participants were more likely to make incorrect decisions about the effectiveness of a medical treatment after an interaction with a search biased towards incorrect information compared to having no interaction with search results at all (Pogazar et al., 2017). In addition to influencing decisions, information online can support personal choice about health care (Krumholz et al., 2016).
Carefully curated content of vital health-related data can be a great resource for clinical care, quality improvement, and scientific discovery (Krumholz et al., 2016). It has been suggested that a continuously learning health system requires data sharing and transparency (Krumholz et al., 2016). The Office of the National Coordinator of Health Information Technology describe it as “an ecosystem in which all stakeholders can contribute, share, and analyze data and where continuous learning cycles encourage the creation of new knowledge that can be used by a variety of health information systems.” (Krumholz et al., 2016). To avoid bad information, it is important to use reliable sites (Crowe, 2018). In a CBC interview, Dr. Eric Cadesky explained how sites run by governments or medical societies, usually with web addresses ending in .gov or .edu, are better choices (Crowe, 2018). Also, he encourages his patients to consult with him, even by email, prior to asking Dr. Google (Crowe, 2018).
Researchers have asked the question, “Are internet videos useful sources of information during global public health emergencies?” (Bora et al., 2018). This question is particularly relevant now, as we face the Covid-19 pandemic. Bora et al. (2018) evaluated 101 YouTube videos about the 2015-2016 Zika Virus pandemic. The search term was “zika virus.”(Bora et al., 2018). 70.3% of the videos were found to be informative, 23.8% were classified as misleading, and 5.9% were related to personal experiences (Bora et al., 2018). Misleading videos were viewed, liked, and shared, more often than informative videos (Bora et al., 2018). Videos with misleading content that had poor quality or reliability were more likely created by independent users as opposed to government or news agencies (Bora et al., 2018).
Personally, if I find information that I want to easily retrieve later then I email myself the link or save the information into a folder on my Google Drive. I’m fortunate to have access to reliable professionals at my work that can provide guidance or help direct me to useful resources. I try to avoid listening to trends, ads, or posts from social media platforms. Overall, I’ve had to navigate the sea of misinformation when it comes to my own health concerns or Covid-19. Curating reliable health information is a complicated task. Using critical thinking skills and developing information literacy are necessary in the evaluation and effective use of information (Keshavarz, 2014).
Bora, K., Das, D., Barman, B., & Borah, P. (2018). Are internet videos useful sources of information
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Krumholz, H.M., Terry, S.F., & Waldstreicher, J. (2016). Data acquisition, curation, and use for a
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Pogazar, F.A., Ghenai, A., Smucker, M.D., Clarke, C.L.A. (2017, October). The positive and negative
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