Correction approaches and hashtag framing in addressing Mpox misinformation on Instagram

• Published in: Health education research Vol. 40; no. 2
• Main Authors: Ku, Kelly Y.L, Li, Jiarui, Luo, Yueming, Song, Yunya
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Oxford University Press 24.03.2025
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Communication; Female; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Health Literacy; Humans; Male; Mpox, Monkeypox; Original; Sexually Transmitted Diseases - psychology; Social Media; Stereotyping; Young Adult
• ISSN: 0268-1153; 1465-3648; 1465-3648
• DOI: 10.1093/her/cyaf009

The rapid spread of health misinformation on social media poses significant challenges to public health crisis. Mpox misinformation has portrayed it as exclusively a sexually transmitted infection, resulting in misperceptions about infection risk and stigmatization of affected groups. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of different correction approaches and message framing in reducing misperception and shaping disease-related attitudes, both immediately after exposure and after a 1-day delay. We employed a 2 × 2 design with a control group to test correction approaches (fact-based vs. logic-based) combined with hashtag framing (health literacy vs. inclusivity) through an experiment (N = 274). Findings showed that all corrections reduced misperception both immediately and after 1 day and increased the likelihood of sharing corrective messages. Only corrections with inclusivity hashtags promoted more positive attitudes towards Mpox immediately after exposure. Stereotypes played a significant moderating role where participants with stronger stereotypes showed a greater reduction in misperception when exposed to corrections with inclusivity hashtags but were less likely to share logic-based corrective message. These findings contributed to understanding effective health communication by highlighting the role of social media hashtags in message framing, promoting user sharing of corrective information, and addressing stereotypes when designing interventions against health misinformation.