The expansion of telephone coverage in Rwanda has been a major achievement in recent years. Africa has experienced a rapid increase in mobile phone penetration in general, which has transformed the continent in several ways. Mobile phone penetration in Africa has grown from less than 2% in 2000 to over 50% in 2021. This has had a profound impact on the continent, enabling people to connect with others, access information, and engage in commerce in ways that were previously impossible. Increased penetration and access to mobile phones and other digital technologies have spurred the growth of social media in Rwanda. Social media platforms have become increasingly popular as a means of communication, particularly among young people. Many young Rwanda are frequent users of major social media platforms such as Twitter, WhatsApp, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and many others. These platforms have important tools for Rwandans to stay connected with their friends and families. In recent times, they have also been used by the government to disseminate information on Covid-19, such as updates on the number of cases, prevention measures, and vaccination campaigns. The government has also used social media to educate the public on the importance of adhering to different Covid-19 protocols. Medical or health information on social media can be a double-edged sword. On one hand, social media can provide a platform for sharing accurate and reliable medical information, and can be a valuable resource for the community or patients seeking information about their health. On the other hand, social media can also be a breeding ground for disinformation, misinformation, and pseudoscience. Rwandans should also be aware that there is a lot of false information on the internet and that there is an overabundance of inaccurate medical information on digital platforms. Medical information is a million-dollar business, and people actually make money from advertising through clicks and views. A clear example is when you visit a certain particular website, you find that algorithms will always suggest content that is similar; so if you are consuming inaccurate medical information, there will be a tendency for the internet to direct you towards more misinformation. With the rise of social media and the ease of sharing information online, it’s become increasingly difficult to discern what information is true or isn’t. The World Health Organization recognises that online information has the potential to travel further, faster, and sometimes deeper than the truth — on some social media platforms, falsehoods are 70% more likely to get shared than accurate news. Misinformation can range from rumours, jokes, mistakes, or deliberate attempts to deceive. False information can have serious consequences, it can influence people’s beliefs, health behaviours, decisions, and actions, and it can also contribute to the spread of harmful myths and stereotypes. For the Rwandan context, let’s talk about WhatsApp as a platform mostly due to the availability of smartphones; this can be a powerful tool for communication and information sharing but unfortunately many times it’s used to spread false or inaccurate medical information since this particular platform allows users to easily forward messages to multiple recipients with just a few clicks. It’s also a platform that allows group chats, where we can share unverified medical information among a large number of people. To combat the spread of false medical information, it’s important to be critical of the information you come across online and to verify it through credible sources. It’s also helpful to be aware of common tactics used to spread disinformation or misinformation, such as clickbait headlines and manipulated images or videos and others. To ensure that you are getting accurate health information on digital platforms, it’s important to seek out sources that are reputable and trustworthy like the Rwanda Ministry of Health, National Police, World Health Organization, and other reputable digital platforms. It’s also very important to check the date since health information changes rapidly and you want to be sure you are getting the latest information. Before you forward that message to the family group or WhatsApp group of friends, please verify and ensure that it’s the correct information. Let’s not contribute to the circulation of false or inaccurate medical information which can be very difficult to undo once it has spread. Once misinformation is shared on social media, it can quickly reach a large number of people and become widely accepted as true, even if it is not based on clear scientific evidence. Dr Vincent Mutabazi is an applied epidemiologist. mutabazivincent@gmail.com Twitter: @VkneeM
