Social Media Sensationalism in the Male Infertility Space: A Mixed Methodology Analysis
Purpose: Infertile couples increasingly turn to the internet for medical guidance. The aims of this study were: (1) to identify popular male infertility content on social media, and (2) to assess the accuracy and quality of this content. We hypothesized that inaccurate/misleading information proli...
Main Authors: | , , , , |
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Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Korean Society for Sexual Medicine and Andrology
2020-10-01
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Series: | The World Journal of Men's Health |
Subjects: |
Summary: | Purpose: Infertile couples increasingly turn to the internet for medical guidance. The aims of this study were: (1) to identify
popular male infertility content on social media, and (2) to assess the accuracy and quality of this content. We hypothesized
that inaccurate/misleading information proliferates online.
Materials and Methods: We used the analytics module BuzzSumo to identify article links that were most shared on Facebook,
Pinterest, Reddit, and Twitter related to male infertility during September 2018 to August 2019. We excluded articles with
<100 engagements, defined as “likes,” “comments,” and “shares.” Two researchers graded content as accurate, misleading, or
inaccurate by comparing content to references cited and contemporary research. Inter-rater reliability was determined with
Cohen’s κ. Binary logistic regression was performed to compare user engagement with accurate versus inaccurate/misleading
articles.
Results: Fifty-two unique article links were identified, with 421,004 total engagements. Thirty-four articles referenced 15 scientific
studies; no reference was available for 18 links. Fifty-six percent of articles were accurate and 44% misleading/inaccurate
(κ=0.743). No significant difference was found in total engagement between accurate vs. misleading/inaccurate links
(p=0.805). Twenty-four percent of engagements referenced studies using non-human models, and 26% of studies had sample
sizes <100.
Conclusions: Social media platforms foster engagement with male infertility information. However, sensationalism predominates,
as patients are highly likely to encounter misleading/inaccurate information, articles that overstate implications of animal
research, and conclusions made based on limited sample sizes. Urologists should consider adding social media to their
armamentarium to stave off misinformation and engage proactively with patients. |
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ISSN: | 2287-4208 2287-4690 |