Identifying features of health misinformation on social media sites: an exploratory analysis
ISSN: 0737-8831
Article publication date: 6 August 2021
Issue publication date: 22 November 2022
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the features of health misinformation on social media sites (SMSs). The primary goal of the study is to investigate the salient features of health misinformation and to develop a tool of features to help users and social media companies identify health misinformation.
Design/methodology/approach
Empirical data include 1,168 pieces of health information that were collected from WeChat, a dominant SMS in China, and the obtained data were analyzed through a process of open coding, axial coding and selective coding. Then chi-square test and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were adopted to identify salient features of health misinformation.
Findings
The findings show that the features of health misinformation on SMSs involve surface features, semantic features and source features, and there are significant differences in the features of health misinformation between different topics. In addition, the list of features was developed to identify health misinformation on SMSs.
Practical implications
This study raises awareness of the key features of health misinformation on SMSs. It develops a list of features to help users distinguish health misinformation as well as help social media companies filter health misinformation.
Originality/value
Theoretically, this study contributes to the academic discourse on health misinformation on SMSs by exploring the features of health misinformation. Methodologically, the paper serves to enrich the literature around health misinformation and SMSs that have hitherto mostly drawn data from health websites.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This work is supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (No.71420107026 and No.71661167007). The authors are grateful to the anonymous reviewers of Library Hi Tech.
Citation
Zhang, S., Ma, F., Liu, Y. and Pian, W. (2022), "Identifying features of health misinformation on social media sites: an exploratory analysis", Library Hi Tech, Vol. 40 No. 5, pp. 1384-1401. https://doi.org/10.1108/LHT-09-2020-0242
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2021, Emerald Publishing Limited