Gen Z social media users trust TikTok physician-influencers more than their own physicians, according to new research from Richmond-based Virginia Commonwealth University published in the Journal of Consumer Affairs.
Suzanne Makarem, an associate professor of marketing at the VCU School of Business, and two co-authors analyzed 330 TikTok videos from 11 licensed U.S. physicians with large followings. The team also interviewed 26 Gen Z participants who actively follow physician-influencers.
Three findings:
1. Followers see physician-influencers as more accessible and credible than their own physicians, but they don’t check credentials. Instead, they judge legitimacy by visual cues such as stethoscopes, scrubs and diplomas on the wall, Dr. Makarem said.
2. Followers know there are commercial incentives behind the content but play them down. Young followers say they buy products and follow advice from these creators at high rates.
3. Participants faulted their own physicians for favoring repeat visits over preventive care and for giving information they couldn’t understand.
Physician-influencers also keep a professional look in nonclinical content, such as wearing lab coats while cooking. That habit sets them apart from typical influencers.
“What a physician-influencer recommends may carry more weight than what their own doctor tells them,” Dr. Makarem said. “That should give us pause.”
According to Pew Research Center data, only 17% of health and wellness influencers describe themselves as conventional medical professionals, such as physicians, dentists or nurses.
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