ABSTRACT
Bakcground YouTube is an important online source of information. And its viewing numbers tend to increase exponentially in extraordinary situations. Our aim in this study was to evaluate the contents of the most frequently viewed YouTube videos during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods In this study, contents of the most frequently viewed Turkish and English videos regarding COVID-19 pandemics are examined and scored with modified DISCERN, MICI and VPI.
Results The mean DISCERN score of Turkish videos is similar to English videos (2.55±1.40 and 2.43±1.25 respectively). Total MICI score tends to be higher in Turkish videos. 86.9% of all 168 videos and 65.2% of all 23 misleading videos were released by news channels. Average view counts, view ratios, and VPIs of misleading videos are higher than the useful videos.
Discussion Since there is not a peer-review system on YouTube, it is very important for the content of videos that are released through news channels to be accurate because the important messages can be spread among people in society through them. Especially some Turkish videos included many different rumors and faulty statements. During the extraordinary situations such as the pandemics, the videos of official health authorities and international institutions should be more visible in YouTube.
Competing Interest Statement
The authors have declared no competing interest.
Funding Statement
No funding was required to conduct this study.
Author Declarations
All relevant ethical guidelines have been followed; any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained and details of the IRB/oversight body are included in the manuscript.
Yes
All necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived.
Yes
I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance).
Yes
I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines and uploaded the relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material as supplementary files, if applicable.
Yes
Data Availability
We declared that all data referred to in the manuscript obtained from YouTube