Beyond Verification| Authentic Expertise: Influencers, Misinformation, and Authenticity in the Online Cancer Community

Abstract

In the online cancer community, influencers have become powerful sources of information, advice, and community for their followers, many of whom are struggling with cancer themselves. Unfortunately, these actors are also in a strong position to propagate dangerous misinformation that jeopardizes their followers’ health unwittingly. In this article, we draw from 12 semistructured, in-depth interviews with influencers in the online cancer community about their experiences navigating cancer misinformation on social media. Findings show that influencers attempt to avoid spreading misinformation about the disease in two overlapping ways: (1) by couching their content production in the discourse of personal experience and (2) through periodic performances of transparency and fallibility. Taken together, these strategies represent the ascent of what we call “authentic expertise,” a hyper-individualized form of expertise cultivated and performed through the enactment of personal truths and imperfection. We argue that authenticity may operate as an important narrative device that shields influencers from the consequences of spreading inaccurate information. Implications for theory and practical efforts to address misinformation are discussed.