The shadows know me: Exploring the dark side of social media in the healthcare field

Nowadays, the increasing attention paid to the dark side of social media (SM) in the field of healthcare management has moved both researchers and practitioners to investigate the impact of Web 2.0 technologies with reference to SM, because of continuous distortion created by these SM platforms for patients and the real dark side they constitute, which affects both the patient sphere and its relative empowerment.Based on previous theoretical and managerial contributions, the paper aims to investigate both the bright and dark side of the effects of SM in the healthcare field, which affect improvements in patient empowerment. Notwithstanding, the exploratory study was developed through a common theoretical and conceptual framework to improve the understanding of emerging social and economic dynamics towards the paradigm provided by many studies on the dark side of Web 2.0.So far, established on previous contributions to the healthcare management domain, the exploratory study identifies a set of variables related to the conceptualisations of patient empowerment and the dark side of SM, with reference to cases of digital users both with and without chronic illnesses.Moving deeper, matching qualitative and quantitative approaches, the impact of the dark side of SM on patient empowerment was investigated using structural equation modelling through SPSS and R softwares, sampling about 650 individuals on the Italian population using computer-assisted web interviewing.Finally, results highlight considerable correlations between many dimensions explaining patient empowerment and the dark side of SM, showing a positive effect on the improvement in patient engagement, but potential critical risks and concerns due to a misinterpretation of online information highlighting the dark side of SM.