Perspectives: Implications of Social Media on Healthcare

Introduction

As five undergraduate students at the University of Michigan, social media plays a significant role in all of our lives. At the time we were selecting our topic for our thought piece, a ban on the social media application TikTok was looming in the United States. With this in mind, we began thinking about the ways that social media is integrated into our society and the role it plays in health and the spread of health information. On the one hand, social media is a great asset for health communication and increases the possibilities of creating supportive communities for empowerment and the exchange of health knowledge. It allows for health authorities to instantly publicize urgent or otherwise relevant health information to far-reaching audiences. In the same vein, however, health misinformation and disinformation can spread quickly by these same mechanisms, and the short-hand form of social media messaging presents a challenge to delivering nuanced and contextualized health messaging. Overall, the implications of social media on health, healthcare, and public health are complex, making them crucial aspects of public health in the current digital age.

The Effect of Social Media on Self Image by Milind Pulugura

Social media has expanded to virtually every corner of the world due to technological advancements, increased internet accessibility, and the rise of smartphones. Platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook have transformed the way that people communicate, access information, and even perceive themselves. However, this widespread adoption has brought negative consequences through self-comparison and damaging effects on mental health. 

The way people view themselves has changed with the influence of social media. Through revolutionary technological advancements, a new standard of beauty has been set, even though it may be unattainable. Filters, Photoshop, and curated content allow modifications to facial features, smooth skin, and body proportions (Ferguson, 2024). These false images and videos make it exceptionally difficult for everyday users to differentiate between reality and digital alterations. The promotion of unattainable beauty standards leads to consumers having increased body dissatisfaction, increased cosmetic procedures, and disordered eating behaviors just to match the content seen on social media. 

The extensive use of social media has also created a comparison culture. Most users only share the highlights of their lives, such as vacations, promotions, luxury items, and personal achievements (How Social Media Affects Our Self- Perceptions - IMO, 2024). This causes followers to believe that these experiences are normal and that they are falling behind in life. The comparison culture brews feelings of inadequacy as people see their lives as dull and unsuccessful. To mitigate the dissonance between the two, people feel an increased pressure to perform online, leading to unauthentic self-presentation and stress from maintaining an idealized image. 

Social media has made it even easier to quantify a consumer’s desirability, leading to a validation-based system where users tie their self-esteem to digital engagement (Hjetland et al., 2022). As people pursue likes, comments, and shares, they lead themselves down a route to eventual disappointment. When a post does not receive the expected number of interactions, users have lowered confidence as they equate likes with self-worth. The need for interactions leads to the desensitization of authentic relationships as people allow online validation to replace real-life emotional support. The reliance on external approval rather than internal confidence creates a never-ending cycle of sorrow.

Even though these issues with social media seem pervasive, there are many solutions that users can implement in their lifestyles to mitigate the negative consequences. Following authentic creators allows users to diversify their feeds and follow content creators who promote body positivity and authenticity. Increasing media literacy will give users the ability to decipher between real and fake content, stopping the eventual comparison to one’s own life. From an industry standpoint, brands and influencers can embrace more unedited photos to promote real beauty. To reduce the impact of comparison culture, users should self-reflect and remind themselves of their achievements rather than measuring success based on others. Lastly, digital detoxes can help users reconnect with themselves and give them breaks from the unhealthy aspects of social media (How Social Media Affects Our Self-Perception, 2014).

Social media is here to stay, and with more advancements every day, these challenges will continue to grow and affect more people. This increasing concern is a signal to individual users and large corporations that proactive behavior is vital in stopping the negative implications that social media has on society and oneself. 

The Effects of TikTok on Youth Mental Health by Isabelle Whiteherse

While it's already been discussed at length, the physical health effects that can be caused by social media, there is evidence to suggest severe mental health effects as well. TikTok specifically has grown immensely popular in recent years, becoming the most downloaded app of all time with over 773 million downloads in 2024 (Curry, 2025). TikTok’s most popular demographic is young people aged 12-17 who are extremely susceptible to outside influences (Pew, 2022). 

TikTok has allowed for what was once hidden to be brought to the surface. Celebrities and influencers alike can share their lavish lifestyles with the general public with only the click of a button. Extremely thin models can share their “What I Eat in a Day” videos, boasting about how little they eat and encouraging others to do the same. Millionaires flaunt their lavish lifestyles. Videos like these can be significantly troubling for the younger generations who constantly compare themselves to online figures. 

Additionally, TikTok has increased rates of depression and anxiety among the youth. WHO data suggests that one in seven adolescents aged 10-17 has struggled with their mental health (WHO, 2024). This age range is TikTok’s target audience. TikTok has made it even easier to hide behind a blank profile and promote cyberbullying. “Cancel culture”, where people are excessively punished and ridiculed for their mistakes online, is becoming increasingly popular. Influencers may lose their entire career if they misspeak and are “canceled”. Being “canceled” means that an individual said or did something that was deemed problematic and are thus constantly ridiculed with public backlash. TikTok videos are often just 15-second videos, and people do not have a lot of room to explain themselves in such a short amount of time. This mindset spreads far and wide and applies to even those without millions of followers. Those with nameless profiles feel the need to comment on people's appearances and bodies in the videos that they post. TikTok comment sections are often filled with hate because people find it so easy to criticize others. This behavior can have extremely negative effects on adolescents' mental health. Feeling ostracized by the entire internet, even if it's only one or two negative comments, can spike anxiety levels and lead to depression. 

It is extremely hard to regulate what is and is not permitted to be posted on TikTok. Oftentimes, there is extremely graphic content being posted that is visible with no warnings or disclaimers. The young children viewing these videos are likely to be traumatized by the sensitive content. TikTok’s algorithm lacks censorship, which allows graphic and inappropriate content to be spread across the internet and seen by people who will likely be deeply affected by it. There needs to be a better system that prohibits explicit and inappropriate content from being seen by young children to avoid causing negative mental health effects. 

Social media, but more specifically TikTok, has made it easier for young people to see and experience so many different cultures and lives from the comfort of their own homes. This has its positive implications, but it also has the potential to contribute to excessively negative mental health effects on adolescents. There needs to be a better system put in place to eliminate the risk of eating disorders, anxiety, depression, PTSD, and other mental health conditions among young children from being on TikTok. A system that has stricter content guidelines to prevent young people from coming across inappropriate or harmful content. 

The Distinct Role of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Medical Misinformation by Andrea Klein

During the COVID-19 pandemic, social media played a huge role in spreading both helpful and harmful information. On one hand, these platforms were crucial for sharing updates, guidelines, and health measures. On the other hand, they were also key in spreading misinformation, especially about COVID-19 vaccines, treatments, and preventive measures. Researchers have noticed that the topics of COVID-19, social media, and misinformation showed up a lot in studies during the pandemic (Hsu, 2020). Many health-related claims circulating on social media were either false or misleading, which made it harder for people to make informed decisions about their health (HHS, 2024). For example, over 70% of Chinese healthcare workers reported psychological distress throughout the pandemic, largely due to conflict and conspiracy theories found online (Hsu, 2020).

In response, scientists began using tools such as machine learning, natural language processing, and social network analysis to better understand how misinformation spreads (UICC, 2025). These tools helped researchers track false claims across social media platforms and study their impact more quickly and effectively. They’ve been especially useful for sorting through the massive amounts of data on social media, helping to pinpoint where misinformation is coming from and how it spreads (Marley, 2024).

Another important lesson from the pandemic was how valuable collaboration is in dealing with misinformation. The best results came when researchers, health organizations, and tech companies worked together. Since misinformation spreads globally, experts agree that everyone needs to work together to combat it, no matter where they are (Kirk, 2021).

Social media companies have started to take more responsibility for the information shared on their platforms with fact-checking tools and ways to flag misleading posts. For example, it was reported that Meta platforms, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, announced fact-checking programs for all platforms, providing warning labels and reducing visibility of suspicious content (Reuters, 2025). However, there’s still a lot of work to do. In the future, these platforms should continue the development of these detection systems, such as AI-driven content monitoring and early-warning network analysis tools, to identify falsified  posts within minutes of their appearance, before algorithms amplify them and they reach large audiences.

Looking ahead, the lessons learned from COVID-19 will be useful if another public health crisis occurs. Utilizing technology and fostering collaboration among researchers will be essential in fighting misinformation. Social media platforms will also need to continue improving how they handle health-related content to ensure people get reliable information.

While social media was a double-edged sword during the COVID-19 pandemic, it also taught us important lessons about how to manage misinformation in future health crises. By using technology, encouraging collaboration, and holding platforms accountable, we can work towards a more informed and healthier world.

The Positive Impacts of Social Media on Healthcare by Princy Patel

Although social media can be a huge source of misinformation, it can also be a very positive tool in improving your knowledge of health care. Health care professionals can use a variety of social media tools such as social networking platforms, blogs, virtual reality and gaming environments (Ventola, 2014). Not only can it improve education and information around healthcare but it can also improve patient care. 

Participation in social media by the general public has increased over the last 10 years. Since 2005, social media use has increased from 8% to 72%. In 2012, there were more than one billion people active on Facebook, and more than 62 million tweets, and two billion videos viewed on YouTube (Ventola, 2014). It is no surprise that social media can be a great way to spread important knowledge about health care, debate health care policies and practice issues, and engage with the public. Through this important spread of knowledge, HCPs (Health Care Practitioners) can use social media to potentially improve health outcomes since patients don’t have to wait to go see the doctor and can have information sooner and act more quickly. It can also help doctors since doctors can share valuable information about their experiences with patients, and as a result of social media, they often do share more advice or tips on how to improve daily lifestyle and habits. Physicians most often join communities online where they can read news articles, listen to experts about research developments, and ask other doctors regarding patient issues. One-third of physicians have reported participating in social networks, and this number is increasing. (Ventola, 2014) Physicians can even use these online communities to discuss health care policies and ethics and, therefore, provide a supportive environment for health care practitioners.

Another example of physicians using online communities is crowdsourcing, which involves using the knowledge and skills of a community to solve problems or to gather information and opinions. On YouTube, surgical procedures can be streamed via the internet, and questions can be asked on Twitter in real time (Ventola, 2014).

It has also increased access to academic libraries and resources for clinical students to learn and experience health care. Social media has even been widely implemented in college pharmacy curricula. A 2011 survey showed that 38% of pharmacy faculty use Facebook for teaching and to encourage class discussions (Ventola, 2014).  In this study, they requested students with friend requests and posted education posts and stories on their platforms, more specifically, through the use of blogs, microblogs, and social networking applications. This increased professional networking among students and faculty (Cain, 2013).

Health Care Organizations, such as hospitals and pharmaceutical companies, have used social media to enhance visibility by marketing products and services, providing a channel for patient resources and support. It has been shown that 70% of US healthcare organizations use Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube to enhance the image and visibility of a medical center. Social media has become so  huge and essential in the medical industry that Mayo Clinic, the top-ranked hospital in the nation, even used blogs to have peer learning and has recognized the importance of these applications (Ventola, 2014). 

With the use of social media, patients have begun to feel more comfortable with their physicians since they have begun their presence online. They feel that with a platform called WebView, patients can reach out to their doctors to ask questions or voice uncertainties and doubts (Ventola, 2014). These also provide patients with education and healthcare monitoring, which can lead to better healthcare outcomes. 

These are just a couple of examples in which patients and physicians have used social media in a positive way to improve the medical field or help the field become more accessible and comfortable. Although social media can sometimes have issues, it can be a great way to increase knowledge, better patient-physician interaction, increase the image of hospitals, and provide patient resources and support. 

What Facebook Disease Support Groups Say about Healthcare Experience by Elias Atkinson

Facebook has become an important social networking site for the formation of medical support groups for individuals experiencing chronic or rare diseases. Groups like these allow the opportunity for people to communicate with one another about their experiences outside the clinical setting and without temporal or physical barriers. They have also become new subjects of public health analysis. One study analyzing breast cancer support groups on Facebook found that the contents of these groups generally involved promoting fundraising, raising awareness, and offering spaces for emotional and informational support (Bender et al., 2011). Another study analyzed the contents of a Facebook group in the UK for those experiencing or curious about IgA nephropathy, a rare kidney disease. This information could then be used to identify areas where individuals felt there were gaps in the knowledge provided to them in their clinical encounters for assessment and treatment (Vasilica et al., 2021). This section will highlight the unique features of the contents of Facebook support groups for dengue fever in the Philippines and offer a brief analysis of their significance.

Dengue fever is an acute, mosquito-borne infection caused by the dengue virus. Dengue fever is a significant target of the country’s public health campaigning and disease control efforts because of its potential to cause life-threatening diseases, particularly in children. Facebook users in dengue virus support groups sometimes shared personal experiences or promoted campaigns, similar to those dealing with chronic or rare diseases. One theme that distinguishes dengue support groups from previously studied ones, however, is a high proportion of posts containing photos of diagnostic test results such as blood test values, radiographic imaging, or dengue-related diagnoses, along with requests for them to be interpreted by other members of the group. This contradicts the results of one study analyzing peer-to-peer care, which found that technical questions of medical importance were almost exclusively reserved for medical professionals (Pew Research Center, 2011). Asking internet users to perform tasks generally reserved for those with medical training may seem irresponsible, though it may point to larger issues with the healthcare system. One potential interpretation of this pattern is that, while these individuals sought care for testing, they don’t trust medical professionals to make diagnoses. Another may be that these medical professionals are not delivering their interpretations and diagnoses in a way that is accessible to everyone. The analysis of Facebook support groups may be a powerful method for exploring the social aspects of multiple kinds of disease and identifying the shortcomings of healthcare systems by serving as repositories for things left unclear or unconvincing after appointments with medical professionals.

Conclusion

These essays can give us both sides to social media - the good and the bad so that we can formulate our own opinions on how social media plays a part in healthcare and medical information. Although social media has affected our mental health and is a contributing factor to the spread of misinformation about COVID-19, social media platforms have also supported tighter patient-doctor interactions and provided support groups for patients dealing with similar diseases or conditions. Since social media has expanded and plays a part in many sectors of healthcare, this analysis and research can help us understand the worldwide implications that it has, and hopefully can be used to promote using social media in a positive manner.

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