Health Communication In The Age Of Platforms Drivers Of Misinformation

Papathanassopoulos, S.; Giannouli, I. Health Communication in the Age of Platforms: Drivers of Misinformation and the Crisis of Medical Expertise. Encyclopedia 2025, 5, 195. https://doi.org/10.3390/encyclopedia5040195 Papathanassopoulos S, Giannouli I. Health Communication in the Age of Platforms: Drivers of Misinformation and the Crisis of Medical Expertise.

Encyclopedia. 2025; 5(4):195. https://doi.org/10.3390/encyclopedia5040195 Papathanassopoulos, Stylianos, and Iliana Giannouli. 2025. "Health Communication in the Age of Platforms: Drivers of Misinformation and the Crisis of Medical Expertise" Encyclopedia 5, no.

4: 195. https://doi.org/10.3390/encyclopedia5040195 Papathanassopoulos, S., & Giannouli, I. (2025). Health Communication in the Age of Platforms: Drivers of Misinformation and the Crisis of Medical Expertise. Encyclopedia, 5(4), 195.

https://doi.org/10.3390/encyclopedia5040195 Corresponding Author: Funmi Adebesin funmi.adebesin@up.ac.za Received 2023 May 1; Revision requested 2023 May 30; Revised 2023 Jul 27; Accepted 2023 Aug 11; Collection date 2023. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work, first published in JMIR... The complete bibliographic information, a link to the original publication on https://infodemiology.jmir.org/, as well as this copyright and license information must be included. The use of social media platforms to seek information continues to increase.

Social media platforms can be used to disseminate important information to people worldwide instantaneously. However, their viral nature also makes it easy to share misinformation, disinformation, unverified information, and fake news. The unprecedented reliance on social media platforms to seek information during the COVID-19 pandemic was accompanied by increased incidents of misinformation and disinformation. Consequently, there was an increase in the number of scientific publications related to the role of social media in disseminating health misinformation and disinformation at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Health misinformation and disinformation, especially in periods of global public health disasters, can lead to the erosion of trust in policy makers at best and fatal consequences at worst. This paper reports a bibliometric analysis aimed at investigating the evolution of research publications related to the role of social media as a driver of health misinformation and disinformation since the start of the...

Additionally, this study aimed to identify the top trending keywords, niche topics, authors, and publishers for publishing papers related to the current research, as well as the global collaboration between authors on topics related... HELSINKI, Finland — The rise of social media has reshaped how people access and interpret health information, and nowhere is this more evident than in the booming market for dietary supplements and online content... Experts here at the 18th European Public Health Conference warned that unchecked misinformation online is distorting perceptions and undermining public health communication. Christopher Jones, a psychology researcher at the University of Heidelberg, Germany, said rebuilding public trust requires more than fact-checking. “Countering misinformation cannot rely on isolated debunking efforts alone but must be embedded in a broader cultural shift toward transparency, dialogue, and mutual understanding,” Jones said. He added that effective communication is as essential as scientific accuracy, since poor communication undermines scientific progress in public health.

One audience member captured the frustration: “We do know the science — but we have absolutely no idea how to communicate [to the lay public].” In today’s hyper-connected world, health communicators are fighting a two-front battle: one against disease, and the other against misinformation. While the first challenge is scientific, the second is strategic—and that’s where thoughtful, intentional communication becomes critical. At Peitho PR, we work with small businesses, startups, and mission-driven organisations who are trying to cut through the noise with credible, trustworthy health messages. But in an environment flooded with clickbait headlines and viral pseudoscience, that’s easier said than done. Here’s how we see it—and what we recommend.

Health misinformation spreads faster than ever. A single misleading tweet or TikTok can reach millions before a reputable journal article is even out of peer review.

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