In every one of our groups, concerns about the trustworthiness of internet information were raised by the participants themselves before the topic could be introduced by the facilitator. Overwhelmingly, people were wary of anything that might be considered even remotely commercial and they were vigilant in ensuring the websites they used were reliable. They looked for .org websites and for anything government-backed. They were most distrustful of overseas websites, especially those from the US which they considered more likely to be commercially-skewed.
Research in the US suggests that commercially-generated internet information is a growing problem. One survey by the Cleveland Clinic Foundation analysed the 100 most-viewed YouTube videos on inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and rated their overall educational quality as poor. In a press release the researchers warned against “misleading information posted by patients or particularly by pharmaceutical companies who often post videos to make it seem like they are coming from a patient when in actuality it is a company advertisement. These sources are not transparent.” It concluded: "The Internet and social media are not going away — YouTube is a powerful platform to deliver and receive healthcare information but healthcare providers and professional societies need to provide more educational and efficient materials using this powerful tool to counteract misleading information."