Favorite YouTubers as a source of health information during quarantine: viewers trust their favorite YouTubers with health information

Abstract

During quarantine, between March and May 2020, YouTubers disseminated information about Covid-19 and the quarantine. The objectives of this study are (1) to explore whether YouTubers are considered as reliable sources of information regarding quarantine by French social media users, (2) to evaluate the link between the parasocial relationship with a favorite YouTuber and the level of trust in the information provided by this YouTuber and (3) to test the effectiveness of the favorite YouTuber as a source of information about the benefit of quarantine. Data from 596 participants were collected through an online survey, among whom, 251 had a favorite YouTuber. Wilcoxon signed-rank tests and ordered logistic regressions were used to explore two research questions and to test two hypotheses. Results show that (1) information about the benefit of quarantine from the favorite YouTuber is considered just as reliable as information from journalists, friends or family members, (2) the intensity of the parasocial relationship with the favorite YouTuber is positively and significantly associated with the level of trust in that favorite YouTuber, (3) having received trusted information about the benefit of quarantine from one’s favorite YouTubers is positively and significantly associated with the perception of the utility of quarantining. This study identifies YouTubers as important sources for health communication.

Characteristics of the most viewed Hybrid Assistive Limb-related videos on YouTube

“…Previous studies have inconsistently reported that the quality of videos providing health-related information is lower for videos uploaded by individuals and higher for videos from educational institutions or medical professionals. 7,13 This is because the YouTuber videos obtained in this study included information from the ROBOCARE CENTER, which provides the HAL exercise program and staff information. The ROBOCARE CENTER has trainers and physical therapists with specialized knowledge and experience in HAL.…”

“…YouTube is the most commonly used video social network and is recognized as an important online information source. 6,7 Videos on rehabilitation and healthcare are also uploaded and used as a tool for sharing patient experiences and providing education. 6,8 YouTube enables anyone to post videos for free, and influencers who regularly upload videos to their personal YouTube channels are known as YouTubers.…”

“…9 YouTubers significantly influence their viewers, and it has been reported that some people believe information obtained from their favorite YouTubers more than that obtained from their parents or friends. 7 Therefore, they are expected to be an effective source of health information. However, videos on YouTube contain misinformation.…”

An Overview of Innovative Approaches to Support Timely and Agile Health Communication Research and Practice

“…Collaborating with influencers who already have an established audience in the target community can enable health messaging to be tailored and disseminated in a way that feels more personally relevant to members of those communities, and takes advantage of the conversational dynamics and social influence embedded in online networks [ 16 ]. Although influencers rarely have health-related expertise, some research suggests that they may still be perceived as trusted sources of health information among their followers [ 17 ]. Working with influencers could also present health practitioners with an opportunity to bypass filter bubbles and self-curation in order to reach populations that may not have an active interest in health information [ 16 ].…”