The Spread of Cancer Misinformation via YouTube and how to Stop It: A Study on the Self-Administration of Anthelmintic for dogs as cancer medicine (Preprint)

BACKGROUND A knowledge gap exists between the list of required actions and the action plan for countering cancer misinformation on social media. A social media strategy to deliver factual information while also disrupting disinformation on a social media network has garnered little attention OBJECTIVE This study is intended, first, to identify the spread structure of cancer misinformation on YouTube. How do YouTube videos play an important role to spread the self-administration of Anthelmintic for dogs as cancer medicine? Second, the study is intended to suggest the action strategy for stopping misinformation on YouTube by exploiting the logic of YouTube information flow and recommender system. What would be the effective strategy to stop cancer misinformation on YouTube? METHODS The study used the YouTube case on the Self-Administration of Anthelmintic for dogs as alternative cancer medicine in South Korea. We gathered the Korean YouTube videos on the self-administration of Fenbendazole. It was retrieved using YouTube API for the query "Fenbendazole" and 702 videos from 227 channels were compiled. Then, at least 50,000 views and uploaded between September 2019 and September 2020 were chosen from the collection. Finally, the 10 suggested videos for each video were compiled, totaling 573 videos. Social network visualization for 573 recommended videos is used to identify three intervention strategies for disrupting the The study found the evidence of so-called ‘complex contagion’ by human and recommender system. By exposing stakeholders to multiple information sources on Fenbendazole self-administration personal reviews and linking them via recommender algorithm, YouTube has become the perfect infrastructure for reinforcing the belief that Fenbendazole can cure cancer, despite government warnings of self-administration risks and dangers.YouTube misinformation network. RESULTS The study found the evidence of so-called ‘complex contagion’ by human and recommender system. By exposing stakeholders to multiple information sources on Fenbendazole self-administration personal reviews and linking them via recommender algorithm, YouTube has become the perfect infrastructure for reinforcing the belief that Fenbendazole can cure cancer, despite government warnings of self-administration risks and dangers. CONCLUSIONS Health authority should upload pertinent information through ‘multiple’ channels and should exploit existing YouTube recommendation algorithm to disrupt misinformation network. Considering the viewing habits of patients and caregivers, the direct use of hospital channels is more effective than the indirect use of news media channels through public announcement and statement or government channels. Reinforcing through multiple channels is the key.