Investigation of Health News Perception from the Perspective of Disinformation and Commodification: A Research in the Post-COVID-19 Period
Özet
The way individuals obtain information about their health has changed, shifting from health professionals to the media and the internet. With these tools, individuals have assumed the role of being their doctors and have turned into consumers who diagnose themselves, research and determine alternative treatment methods, apply the treatment, and purchase the services necessary for them. However, the fact that health can be a subject open to disinformation and commodification affects the belief in health news and may lead individuals to consume and cause abuse. In this study, the perception of health news is discussed with the concepts of commodification and disinformation, and evaluations are made regarding the mediating role of belief in health news. SPSS and the Process Macro package program were used to analyze the data. As a result of the research, it was found that belief in health news plays a mediating role in several relationships. Specifically, it mediates the relationship between health news related to commercial concern and advertisement, and health news related to orientation to consumption, behavior change, and health behavior abuse. Additionally, belief in health news also mediates the relationship between health news about orientation to consumption and both health behavior abuse and behavior change. As a result of the study, it was emphasized that the level of consciousness and awareness to be created in individuals will play a positive role in preventing disinformation and information pollution related to health news and recommendations were presented to public authorities and stakeholders of the subject.
