Hello everyone! Welcome to my blog post five of my inquiry project. If this is your first time reading, I’m doing an inquiry project with the topic question “How does misinformation negatively affect someone?” I have answered 2/3 research questions already and highly recommend looking at those posts. In this post, I will be answering the final research question for this project.
Research questions: In what ways does misinformation affect someone?
Health consequences
Misinformation is everywhere, and we see it so much. So much so that it has affected the health of many people. In recent surveys this year by the Canadian Medical Association (CMA), 43% of Canadians believe the misinformation they see quite a bit, while 35% believe the misinformation they see sometimes. The surveys also identified that more than 35% of Canadians said that they have avoided certain health treatments, just because they read some fake news [1].
List of poll related health problems that were shown due to misinformation
37% say poor access to health care and information has led them to trying medical advice found online [1]
31% have taken medical advice found online instead of advice received from a medical professional [1]
23% have had an adverse reaction or negative health impact from following health advice found online [1]
In the same survey, it was also shown that 43% of Canadians have been having an increase in anxiety and experiencing mental distress, just from misinformation [1].
People now a days believe in anything they see online, which is not good for their health. The people who believe in all this type of fake information are harming themselves. Many times, it could lead to people worsening their health or even sometimes dying. Just because they read something about home remedies or miracle cures [2].
Financial harm
People + Money have never been a good combo, especially when you add the social media in the mix. With the online shopping sites, we have in todays and age, anyone can buy or invest anything they see, but it doesn’t always go so well. Many sites tend to use AI to manipulate their customers, and it’s worked.
There has been a rise in popularity for AI, and it’s come to many deepfake scams. Many have been scammed out of a lot of money whether its just random people, or businesspeople themselves. In a survey last year, one of the polls shows that around 95% of people in the business industry say that deepfakes has increased the risk of fraud in their companies [3].
It was shown that some of these companies that faced fraud like this has cost 9 in 10 Canadian companies around 5% of their profit. Which is something many people can’t afford to lose. Just because the business was the target of internal or external fraud [3].
Types of internal and external fraud: (Internal fraud: fraud committed by people in the organization, ex: employees. External fraud: Fraud committed by outsiders, ex: customers)
Sources:
“New Research Shows the Problem of Health Misinformation in Canada Is Growing.” Canadian Medical Association, 2025, www.cma.ca/latest-stories/new-research-shows-problem-health-misinformation-canada-growing?utm_source=chatgpt.com. [1]
“Why Is Health Misinformation on Social Media Dangerous?” Canadian Medical Association, 2024, www.cma.ca/healthcare-for-real/why-health-misinformation-social-media-dangerous. [2]
“AI Deepfakes Increasing Fraud Risks for Businesses, KPMG Survey Finds.” KPMG, 11 Mar. 2024, kpmg.com/ca/en/home/media/press-releases/2024/03/deepfakes-pose-major-fraud-risks-to-canadian-businesses.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com. Accessed 29 May 2025. [3]
Hey Ciara,
This is a fantastic blog post! I really liked how you highlighted the health and financial impacts of misinformation, especially the statistics from the Canadian Medical Association which really put things into perspective. The section on AI-driven deepfake scams was really interesting, especially learning how they affect businesses with fraud. Since I’m thinking of starting my own small business, it made me think about how important it is to be cautious of these risks. A question I have for you is what do you think could be done to reduce the spread of harmful health advice online? Furthermore, for future posts, maybe you could dive deeper into how social media platforms are addressing the misinformation problem. I have provided a couple of links below that touch on that topic. Nevertheless, good luck with your research!
https://ethicalleadership.nd.edu/thought-leadership/how-to-stop-the-spreadof-misinformation
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9910783/
Mahdiya A.
Hi Ciara,
I thought your blog post was very interesting and explained clearly a big part of the spread of misinformation. I liked that you mentioned the online sources and artificial intelligence as a source of misinformation as it is very present to everyday life. It was interesting to see the use of false information in especially healthcare and financials as they are very important and something we rely on everyday.
Some sources that you could use are….
https://www.canada.ca/en/campaign/online-disinformation.html?utm_campaign=cse-cst-online-disinfo-25-26&utm_source=ggl&utm_medium=sem&utm_content=ad-text_en&adv=2526-731950&utm_term=false+news&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22480305290&gbraid=0AAAAAo9YGlHN-KST4RLQ9Mv-kSYcreqG0&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIlty8xvPLjQMVii2tBh2z4TlFEAAYASAAEgLaQPD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/disinformation-and-its-effects-on-society/
Good luck with the rest of your project!
– Ariana
Hey Ciara, I liked your post. Misinformation is everywhere, and it’s really important to spot just like you talked about, it can lead to health and financial consequences. For your presentation of learning, you should definitely use the percentages about the health consequences, it shows the problems misinformation causes.
This is a very timely and important topic, especially in an age where misinformation spreads faster than ever through social media and online platforms. Misinformation can influence people’s beliefs, decisions, and even their mental health. I’m curious whether your research will focus more on emotional impacts (like fear or confusion), social consequences (such as polarization or stigma), or both. Keep going – your findings could help others become more aware and cautious about the information they consume
Hello Ciara,
I really enjoyed reading your blog post! The question captivated me as it was very unique and distinctive. I loved the introduction of your blog post as it covered the topic of health consequences. After reading the first paragraph, I was hooked! Your post was nice and easy to read, as the paragraph’s were short and extremely informative. In addition, I like how you incorporated information relating to financial harm. Going into detail about deepfake scams is very educational to read, especially in this day and age with social media and AI being so prominent. One important piece of information I think would be perfect for your presentation of learning is a few key points from the last section of your blog, fraud schemes. Comparing External and Internal fraud would be very enlightening for an audience of highschoolers!
I love the work you have put into this project, and I wish you the best on your overall presentation of learning!
-Vanessa Vukovic
Hi Ciara, I really loved learning more about the importance of double-checking facts to make sure that we do not consume fake information. For example, I love how you included that 31% of Canadians have taken medical advice found online instead of advice received from a medical professional. This shows how dangerous fake information is for our health, especially with the rise of AI. I also love using AI for quick health reasons because it is quicker than looking at healthcare resources. However, now I will not use it that much because AI is not always correct. Some questions I have for you are: does research show that healthcare professionals will soon be replaced by AI? What are some ways we can verify misinformation? Is there a way we can correct AI’s misinformation to make it a more reliable source?
Here are some resources to help you research further:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/artificial-intelligence-misinformation-google-1.7217275
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11076802/
https://2024.jou.ufl.edu/page/ai-and-misinformation
Thank you,
Sarah Kim