This report aims to explore and investigate questions on information integrity in the realm of health information on digital platforms in India. Information Integrity is a term used to describe the issue of what is popularly referred to as ‘misinformation’ comprehensively. Information Integrity, amongst other things, focuses on information's accuracy, reliability and verifiability. The report attempts to put forward a definition of information integrity suitable to the current times and captures all aspects of the issue.
Since the pandemic, health information has been among the most popular themes on digital platforms and content creation space. Despite this, this emphasis on information integrity issues with respect to health content has not been prominent. The report focuses on understanding information integrity issues by analysing and examining the 84 posts of 12 different health content creators or influencers on digital platforms from 4 different backgrounds in terms of expertise.
The methodology for this report consists of three stages:
In Part 4 of the report, the findings are organized by creator categories (doctors, alternative medicine practitioners, nutritionists, and laypersons) and platforms (X, YouTube, and Instagram). This section explores whether there is a correlation between citing credible sources and the number of views a creator garners. It also examines the varying monetary incentives available to creators from different backgrounds, the tone and visual styles they employ, and the themes they address in their content. The platform analysis delves into the role platforms play in shaping creators' sources of information, the audiences they attract, and the relationship between incentives and creators' professional backgrounds.
The findings of this report aim to foster greater discussion about issues related to information integrity in online health content. The report's findings do not aim to provide a comprehensive overview of the health content creator space but provide insight into some of the commonly observed aspects of information integrity during the study. Further, it provides specific, actionable steps that can be taken by platforms, users and content creators to make the health content creation space more accurate, reliable, and verifiable.
This report would not have been possible without the guidance and support of Sararu Natrajan, who provided me with the opportunity to explore this research through an unconventional lens. I am deeply thankful for the insightful discussions with Aishani Rai and Ava Haidar on issues of information integrity and online health content. Their contributions were invaluable in refining the research focus and informing key decisions.
I also extend my heartfelt thanks to Mousmi Panda for her mentorship throughout the writing process. Her input on visualization and presentation added significant depth and clarity to this report.
I would also like to thank the larger Aapti Team for their support and guidance throughout the research.
At the height of the COVID-19-induced pandemic, a BBC article said, “ Hundreds dead' because of Covid-19 misinformation”. It was an awakening moment to society that misinformation, particularly in the health sector, was not merely harmful or misleading but also life-threatening. The article cites a study that reveals that over 5800 people have been hospitalised after consuming methanol or alcohol-based cleaning products, wrongly believing it to be a cure for the virus. This led to several deaths, especially in Iran, where methanol poisoning took place. The article also talks about several scams running on social media platforms to buy "mineral miracle supplements" while actually selling diluted bleach. The article concludes by criticising the slow response of tech platforms and the responsibility of government and international organisations to deal with the issue of false information.
The problem of information integrity is severe in India. The World Economic Forum’s Global Risk Report 2024 mentioned that India’s biggest short-term risk is misinformation and disinformation.
Picture 1: From World Economic Forums's *The Global Risks Report 2024 ( Last accessed on January 2025)*