Detecting Disinformation about Health in Social Media: A Review of Four Inductive Studies
By Joey F. George, Iowa State University, USA, jfgeorge@iastate.edu | Sophia Mannina, Queen’s University, Canada, 20scm@queensu.ca
Abstract
Social media enable fast and widespread dissemination of information, both honest and dishonest. Misinformation is generally spread unintentionally. Disinformation, on the other hand, is intentionally dishonest and is designed to harm individuals and organizations, which usually benefits the sender financially. Health-related disinformation can be especially dangerous if people act on its claims. How do people determine if health content on social media is honest or if it contains disinformation? This review considers four papers about inductive research studies, where participants were exposed to actual social media posts about 10 health topics, ranging from weight loss to COVID-19 vaccines. Some of the posts were honest and some were dishonest. Participants in all four studies were asked to evaluate the veracity of the posts that they saw and to provide the reasons for their evaluations. Two studies were online surveys. The other studies were conducted in the lab, where the eye movements of participants were recorded with an eye tracker. The key findings from the review were: (1) People were relatively good at detecting health-related disinformation, with detection success rates ranging from 66% to 90%; (2) People most frequently cited the quality of the source of a post as the reason they decided it was honest; (3) Variables key to successful detection were need for cognition and gender (and to a lesser extent, political affiliation, education, and age); (4) In the eye tracking studies, the most common determinants of fixations on particular parts of a post were need for cognition, gender, and the veracity of the post; (5) The most important measure of fixation that influenced detection success was number of fixations; and (6) Overall, need for cognition was the key factor in successful disinformation detection.
Detecting Disinformation about Health in Social Media: A Review of Four Inductive Studies
In an age where truth competes with algorithms, Detecting Disinformation about Health in Social Media: A Review of Four Inductive Studies explores how the rise of online networks has reshaped the flow of information—and misinformation. This timely and thought-provoking work examines how social media’s interactive, editable, and networked design enables the rapid spread of falsehoods that influence public opinion, polarize communities, and endanger lives. From political propaganda to deadly health hoaxes during the COVID-19 pandemic, disinformation has become a modern weapon of psychological warfare. Drawing on recent studies, the book investigates why people believe false information, how cognitive and political factors shape these beliefs, and what can be done to strengthen digital literacy. Offering both critical insight and practical solutions, this work challenges readers to confront the complex realities of online truth, urging collective responsibility in an age where misinformation travels faster than fact.
