I Found It on Instagram: Exploring the Impact of Social Media on Public Health Communication.

Objective: This study aimed to explore the perspectives of social media users and health influencers on the use of these platforms as tools for health communication and literacy.

Design: To address the objective, a qualitative descriptive study was conducted using focus groups with general social media users and health content influencers.

Results: During the discussions, participants revealed that everyone accesses health information on social media, either actively or unintentionally, thus exposing themselves to this reality. Additionally, a paradigm shift was highlighted due to the 2020 pandemic in relation to the consumption of health information on these platforms. This shift increased interest in the topic as well as general distrust toward official institutions and the phenomenon of misinformation. In response, the importance of the presence of health professionals on social media was emphasized, as well as the need to educate the public to consume this type of information safely.

Conclusion: Social media plays a significant role as a public health communication tool, and its use for this purpose is increasingly widespread. However, it is crucial to educate the public to engage in informed and responsible consumption to avoid the consequences of misinformation prevalent on these platforms.