Date on Honors Thesis
11-2020
Major
Nursing
Examining Committee Member
Dr. Jessica Naber, Advisor
Examining Committee Member
Dr. Thurmond, Committee Member
Examining Committee Member
Dr. Cross, Committee Member
Abstract/Description
Social media has exploded in the past decade making it hard to find a teenager or adult without a smartphone or tablet in their possession at all times. Social media makes it easy for people to access information and friends at the click of a button. Information is easier to spread today than it ever has been; however, with this widespread social media usage comes a rapid spread of information with little fact checking. The Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in a surge of medical information being posted online, and not all of it has been completely accurate. The purpose of this study was to examine the spread of medical information through the social media platform Facebook by looking specifically at Covid-19 claims circulating on the social networking site. The study utilized a survey that was posted on the social media site Facebook. The survey contained questions about statements that individuals had seen regarding Covid-19 on social media and their beliefs about those particular statements. The study had a total of 250 participants, all of which were over the age of 18 and active on Facebook. The results showed that misinformation is prevalent on social media in regard to Covid-19 statements, and while most individuals were able to separate the valid information from the misinformation, a good portion of participants were not able to do so. The study also found that the more popular misinformation statements had the most controversy around them, with participants being rather split on if they believed them or not. These findings add to the many studies already done that have yielded very similar results, and the information found in these studies can be used in the future to help portray the prevalence of misinformation on social media and come up with solutions to curb the spread.
Recommended Citation
Durham, Emma, "The Spread of Medical Information Through Social Media Platforms" (2020). Honors College Theses. 52.
https://digitalcommons.murraystate.edu/honorstheses/52