Buy My [Unnecessary Medical Scam] Here!

Don't get your medical advice from celebrities.

Aren’t the benefits of social media so obvious? A constant stream of vertical videos, the ability for conspiracy theorists to reinforce each other’s misguided ideas, and the whole continuum of social anxieties.

Against this background, what ought you expect from medical advice on social media?

Well, these authors looked at a few trending medical tests specifically egregious for over-promising absent evidence: full-body magnetic resonance imaging, the multicancer early detection test, and tests for antimullerian hormone, gut microbiome, and testosterone.

Unsurprisingly, the online representation of these tests was … unbalanced:

… and the quality and conflict of interest …

… to match.

I would say “don’t get your medical advice from social media influencers” – but the accounts identified in this study reach over 100,000,000 followers, indicating a great number of people already are!