A Content Analysis of Digital Dermatology on Instagram

Social media platforms have become primary sources of public health education, yet they are highly susceptible to medical misinformation spread by non-experts. Particularly on Instagram, board certified dermatologists have the capability to counter this misinformation, but the educational quality of their presence remains unstudied. Evaluating the extent to which board certified dermatologists on Instagram utilize their platform to accurately educate the public is crucial. A mixed method content analysis was conducted on 150 posts from 30 randomly selected dermatology accounts on Instagram. Posts were evaluated using a standardized 4-point Educational Quality Score (EQS) rubric, and quantitative metrics to assess audience interaction across different content types. Educational content represented 45.3% of the sample, while promotional and lifestyle content collectively accumulated the remaining 54.7% of posts. Educational content demonstrated moderate medical depth (mean EQS = 2.94), whereas promotional content scored low depth (mean EQS = 1.65). Promotional content generated the highest audience interaction, averaging 2,950 engagements per post, with extreme outliers concentrated in this category. Dermatologist influencers face societal pressure online, where social media algorithms reward superficial, promotional content over clinical education. This blending of professional and personal content suggests the potential for updating digital ethical guidelines and social media algorithms to navigate digital medical information.