Get Ready with Me with Sinusitis: How Often is Misinformation on Medical Concerns Spread on TikTok

Whether looking for other perspectives or seeking advice, millions of people turn to TikTok for content on issues or concerns they are having in their life. Misinformation is common on the app, as researchers find where it comes from.

TikTok information
Do you turn to TikTok for advice or information on something you're experiencing? You may want to think twice about who to trust on the app.

As one of the most popular apps out there, TikTok holds a unique power for spreading information worldwide. But is information on the app always true? A new study by the University of Chicago finds a staggering amount of medical misinformation on the platform.

Reaching billions of users across the globe, information spreads like wildfire on any social media. TikTok is no different with its short form video structure able to spread entertainment and content far and wide.

Millions of influencers, not all medical professionals

TikTok media is developed by millions of “influencers,” whether they are sharing their daily lives, comedy, how tos, or educational content. You do not have to be an expert to post educational content to a large-scale audience. There is little to no regulatory system on TikTok to make sure that what people are sharing is true.

Individual consumers of content on the app must rely on their own filtration system to discern fact or false. With the sheer magnitude of content available, it is quite easy and dangerous how fast misinformation spreads.

According to this research, around 44% of videos on sinusitis, the focus of the study, were non-factual. Content creators in this category were largely those who do not self-identify as experts and posted more about their daily lives or comedic videos.

The scientific analysis employed by the research rated videos under the hashtags #sinusitis, #sinus, and #sinusinfection based on their accuracy and creator. Understandability and actionability were also considered to identify if the information could be applied to people’s lives.

The spread of misinformation available in every household

Of the 220 videos matching the criteria, over half of the videos published by a non-medical influencer contain false information. However, the influencer criteria is listed as those with over 10,000 followers. Those who are not influencers and not medical professionals did provide mostly true information, 53% of them, in fact.

Overall, those who identify themselves as medical professionals: physicians, nurses, chiropractors, and pharmacists posted, 84% of the time, factual information. These uploaders were most likely to be publishing educational content, with a clear purpose to help inform users on their medical concerns.

There is an interesting overlap between non-medical influencers and medical professionals on TikTok. They both posted videos offering medical advice about sinusitis.

This cross section of non-medical influencers posting 52% medical advice with 55% false information is where the danger of turning to the app for help arises.

Next time you take to TikTok to find content about a medical issue you are experiencing, maybe swipe to the left and check out the page of the uploader. Everything should be cross referenced to be completely sure of accuracy, especially information from nonmedical influencers.

News reference

Dimitroyannis, R., Fenton, D., et al. "A Social Media Quality Review of Popular Sinusitis Videos on TikTok." https://doi.org/10.1002/ohn.688