This episode aired on October 14th, 2024 at 12:00pm.
Be honest. The last time you had an issue that might have sent you to the doctor, did you go online first and search your symptoms? Did you watch a few videos from a doctor who also happens to be a popular TikToker? Did you try a home remedy pushed by your favorite influencer who swears it will work? I’ve done this myself. Well, not the home remedy part, but the home searching part for sure. With healthcare so expensive, and doctor visits taking months to book, many people are trusting their healthcare to social media influencers, doctor-influencers. They trust these influencers and often don’t even check for medical credentials. It’s yet another area of life where it can be difficult to distinguish between accurate information, and false or misinformation. On this episode of Media Inside Out, we discussed how social media affects our medical decisions, and we talked with two scholars who have done research on the topic. Let’s go inside.
Guests
Susanna Lee
Susanna Lee is is an assistant professor in the Department of Advertising & Public Relations. Her research is directed to understand how consumers process strategic communication on social media and how emerging technology such as immersive media and artificial intelligence affect consumers’ moods, attitudes, and behavioral intentions.
Simu Dey
Simu Dey is a PhD student in media and communication at Temple University. Her doctoral research focuses on using various social media platform communication tools to provide mental health support to different at-risk populations. Her broader research focuses on helping at-risk populations make informed decisions by exploring how to effectively share mental health support resources via social media.