UW study reveals how social media influencers profit from spreading misinformation

According to a recent Pew Research Center report, nearly half of adults in the U.S. use Instagram. The social media platform is also popular with influencers who amass a large online following around a particular interest, like health and wellness. They can then leverage that popularity to profit from the sale of products and services they promote through their accounts. 

But some influencers on Instagram are also profiting from the spread of misinformation, according to a new study from researchers at the University of Washington. The study looked at three Instagram influencers who spread vaccine misinformation with messaging that appealed to users with varying interests, from fashion to homeschooling. Those influencers posted content that linked to products such as essential oils they falsely claimed would cure colds, viruses and other ailments. Rachel Moran is the lead author of the study and a senior research scientist at the Center for an Informed Public at the University of Washington. She joins us to share her findings.