Magda Konieczna

The Internet Could Make You Healthy:
A case study of e-health norms and practices

A growing number of Canadians are using the Internet for health information. The Internet is cheap and far-reaching, and has been shown to be more persuasive than print or television media. Internet health content providers face a double pressure: ensuring accuracy and credibility in a medium that is rife with allegations of inaccuracies, while struggling to make money in a medium that has yet to turn a profit.

This has led to an innovative use of health-care professionals as sources, in an attempt to create more credible content. This thesis discusses the practices of MediResource, Canada’s largest wholesaler of health content. I analyze the effect of the accuracy/cost pressures on the objectivity, accuracy and credibility of MediResource’s health information.

I find that this innovation involves significant tradeoffs. Credible sources can go a long way to improving perceived reliability of Internet health content. Using credible sources without a credible process, however, does not guarantee improved accuracy, and compromises independence and objectivity.