A digital study on predictive factors for Instagram users’ engagement with amber necklace-related posts

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ABSTRACT

Aim

This study aimed to assess the engagement of Instagram users with Brazilian Portuguese posts related to amber necklaces for teething symptoms relief, identifying predictive factors that can increase users’ engagement with information and misinformation.

Methods

This digital study analysed Brazilian Portuguese amber necklace-related posts on Instagram. The posts were collected using specific search strategies on CrowdTangleTM. Subsequently, two independent investigators were trained and calibrated to categorise the posts concerning the proposed outcomes. The posts were categorised according to their facticity (information or misinformation), type of media (album/photo or video/Instagram TV), sentiment (positive, neutral, or negative), author’s occupation (dentist or non-dentist), and type of profile (commercial or personal). Additionally, investigators compiled information about the time of publication (days) and interaction metrics (total interaction and overperforming score). The statistical analysis assessed the inter-examiner reliability, group comparisons, and the factors associated with interaction and misinformation. P values <0.05 were considered significant.

Results

The posts were primarily commercial, created by non-dentists, and published as albums/photos expressing a positive sentiment and containing misinformation. While a personal profile was a predictive factor for higher total interaction and overperforming scores, the identification of videos only predicted higher total interaction.

Conclusion

Videos and personal profiles were predictive factors for higher user engagement with amber necklace posts on teething symptoms relief on Instagram, even with the warnings of health organisations and the lack of scientific evidence to confirm its efficacy.

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