Health experts use social media to push back against misinformation

The rise in measles across the U.S. coincides with falling vaccination rates. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed almost 2,500 cases of the disease in 2026, the highest number since the 1990s.

Measles had been virtually eliminated in America by the year 2000. The anti-vaccine movement has gained strength in recent years, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Health experts say social media has allowed vaccine misinformation to spread. Self-styled wellness “influencers” have built large followings online, pushing unscientific claims and promoting unregulated health products.

Mariah Wellman is studying this trend. She’s an assistant professor of advertising and public relations at Michigan State University. She says many people turn to the internet because they might not have access to health care.

“They may not see their doctor on a consistent basis,” Wellman says. “They may not have a doctor they necessarily trust.”

(Un)healthy skepticism?

Wellman says many people no longer trust the medical establishment. And they feel like they can get answers online faster than they can from a doctor or health care provider. She says wellness gurus take advantage of that.

“Wellness influencers do a great job of building relationships that make the viewer feel like the influencer really sees them, hears them, knows them, and values them,” she says.

Once people accept misinformation as truth, Wellman says it’s difficult to convince them otherwise.

“It’s incredibly hard to change their minds,” she says.

What’s good for the goose…

But some health experts are turning that around. Wellman says many qualified people in their fields are learning how to use social media to turn the tide.

“We’re seeing some evidence that these expert influencers are growing in their popularity online,” she says. “People are reaching out to them, saying, ‘yes, actually this content has changed my mind.'”

Wellman is writing a book on the strategies wellness influencers use to make people believe they’re authority figures. The book comes out in 2027.