Social media helps to disseminate medical and scientific knowledge to the public but the high levels of harassment may lead experts to limit their social media use

Misinformation is likely to accumulate as doctors and scientists face high level online harassment, compelling them to leave social media, according to a new research in the journal JAMA Network.

The study says women and other genders are more likely to report experiencing harassment than men.

Social media helps to disseminate medical and scientific knowledge to the public. However, the high levels of harassment may lead many experts to limit their social media use, leaving misinformation unchecked by those who are most qualified to combat it, the study adds.

The study titled “Physician and Biomedical Scientist Harassment on Social Media During the COVID-19 Pandemic,” authored by Regina Royan from the Department of Emergency Medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, emphasizes the need for institutions and companies to support those targeted by harassment.

“At a time when physicians and biomedical scientists need support and their advocacy is vital to the national interest more than ever before, they are being badgered, doxxed, and sexually harassed. Institutions and companies should support those who are attacked and provide mechanisms to reduce harassment and provide accountability,” Dr Royan adds.

According to the study, 67 percent of women and 58 percent of other genders reported harassment, compared to only 13 percent of men. Harassment based on race or ethnicity was reported by 82 percent of black respondents, 52 percent of Asian respondents, and 15 percent of white respondents. Also, 69 percent of Hispanic respondents reported harassment based on race or ethnicity, in contrast to 25 percent of non-Hispanic respondents.

The researchers surveyed individuals aged 35 to 44 years, with 57 percent of them identifying as female, 39 percent as male, and 4 percent identifying as transgender or self-described gender. Among these respondents, 66 percent reported experiencing harassment on social media. The reasons cited for this included advocacy (88 percent), gender (45 percent), race or ethnicity (27 percent), sexual orientation (13 percent), disability (6 percent), and other self-described reasons (31 percent).

In January 2021, JAMA published a research letter titled “Prevalence of Personal Attacks and Sexual Harassment of Physicians on Social Media,” in which participants were asked whether they had been personally targeted or attacked on social media and if they had experienced sexual harassment.

The 2021 research revealed that 23.3 percent reported being personally attacked on social media, with no significant difference between female and male physicians. However, women were significantly more likely than men (16.4 percent vs. 1.5 percent) to report online sexual harassment.

Harassment instances shared by physicians included verbal abuse, death threats, contacting employers and certifying boards, and the sharing of personally identifying information on public forums. In the case of sexual harassment, women reported receiving sexually explicit messages, with some receiving unsolicited pornographic images. Moreover, two physicians reported threats of assault from White supremacists due to their civil rights advocacy.

The 2021 study pointed out individuals who experience harassment consistently report emotional distress and fear. Online harassment can also cause women to withdraw from social media, potentially depriving them of professional benefits such as networking and scholarly collaboration.

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