YouTube as a Source of Information on the COVID-19 Pandemic

This paper seeks to assess the quality and validity of information available on YouTube, based on the current Center for Disease Control (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines.

The authors identified the 250 most-viewed videos from 1 January 2020 to 12 May 2020 on YouTube using keyword ‘COVID 19’. Two independent reviewers analyzed the English-language videos as useful, misleading, or news updates.

After excluding non-English and irrelevant videos, 100 videos were analyzed. The conclusion in the article is that YouTube is an increasingly important source of medical information during the COVID-19 pandemic. Most of the videos were useful, however due to the public nature of the platform, misleading information may also be easily disseminated. Independent users are more likely to post-misleading videos

Last modified: February 23, 2021

Language: English