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Social media plays a major role in shaping public conversations around health.
A major study released by Pew Research Center this week found that 40% of Americans — and half of adults under the age of 50 — get health and wellness information from social media influencers or podcasts.
The report analyzed nearly 13,000 health and wellness social media accounts with at least 100,000 followers, offering insight into who is actually shaping online health advice.
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I know we’ve spent 200,000 years making inside really nice, but your brain wants wind, and plants, and birds, and moss.
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Until a few years ago, if you had a medical question, the most obvious solution was to go to a doctor. Today, people are navigating a crowded online space where credible experts appear alongside influencers promoting questionable claims. You’ve got actual cardiologists explaining heart health right next to “wellness gurus” claiming you can cure anything by staring at the sun.
Similarly, board-certified dermatologists offering medically sound skincare advice compete for attention with influencers pushing miracle collagen drinks or extreme cleanses.
The Pew research found that “many health and wellness influencers describe themselves as some sort of health care professional — but a majority do not.”
Only 17% identified themselves as conventional medical professionals such as doctors, nurses, or dentists. About four percent were mental health professionals, including psychiatrists and social workers. Others used coach, entrepreneur, wellness creator, and even parent as credentials in their bio.
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For many, these creators are just easier to understand than a doctor, breaking down scary medical talk into plain English.
Of those who are hitting “follow” on health influencers, around 41% said they’re genuinely looking to fix their lifestyle or get healthier.
Around a quarter said entertainment was a major reason they get health information from these influencers. And around one in five said that hearing from someone who shares similar personal beliefs or background is helpful.
“We’re absolutely underestimating wellness influencers. They no longer just shape what we buy or wear, but also influence our lifestyle choices, what we put in our bodies,” Mariah Wellman, who studies digital wellness communities at Michigan State University, told the New York Times.
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We've seen high school football players with CTE.
Every single concussion or blackout causes some amount of irreparable brain image.
Football is unsafe. MMA is unsafe. Boxing is unsafe.
You are paying to watch people get brain damage.
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Research suggests public confidence in government health agencies has been declining since the pandemic.
People spent months in lockdown, constantly scrolling on their phones in search of answers about a fast-moving public health crisis. All the fake news and misinformation spreading at the time definitely didn't help either.
The Pew study also found that reduced trust in, or access to, traditional healthcare is pushing more people toward health content on social media. It found a clear gap between groups — 53% of uninsured people say they turn to social media or podcasts for health and wellness information, compared with 38% of those who have health insurance.
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Studies also show notable differences across racial and ethnic groups in how people engage with health content online. About 47% of Hispanic and 44% of Black adults are more likely than white adults (35%) to consume health and wellness information from social media or podcasts.
Black Americans, in particular, are also more likely to say that the advice they see from influencers differs greatly from what they hear from traditional medical sources.
Some of these people have a totally fair reason to side-eye the medical establishment. They’re often dealing with a system where doctors might hold biases. Because of those negative experiences in clinics and hospitals, it’s only natural that they’d look for health advice from people who actually make them feel seen.
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We didn't "stop evolving" and other apes aren't on their way to evolving into us. Evolution is happening everywhere, all the time, and is context-dependent. In short, that means every species is well suited for it's specific niche, not that we're the pinnacle of life on Earth or anything.
Also, like 60% of the oxygen you're breathing right now comes from phytoplankton in the ocean. All life on this planet is connected, so take care of it if you want to keep living here!
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The health and wellness influencer ecosystem shows no signs of disappearing.
To keep up, some doctors are jumping into the mix to win back people’s trust. They’re busy making their own “how-to” videos or shutting down fake medical claims, much like this viral thread where actual experts teamed up to drop some real knowledge.
Recently, the American Medical Association introduced a new podcast titled “Health vs. Hype.” It aims to examine and fact-check wellness trends and health claims circulating through social media influencers.
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