INTRODUCTION
The role of social media in patient education cannot be overlooked, 80% of internet users in the United States have searched online for health information.1 A recent study by Villa-Ruiz et al found that educational videos dominate the content of top dermatologic videos on TikTok. This group also reported that the majority, 48%, of those videos were posted by patients, followed by board certified dermatologists at 25.8%.2 We sought to examine if these results would differ when the search is adjusted to hashtags specific to black skin. Additionally, such results would provide board-certified dermatologists with insight into the specific skin concerns for which Black patients seek educational content on social media. Previous studies have analyzed the sources of skin of color content on other social media platforms. One study found that board-certified dermatologists only accounted for 22% of the top posts relating to skin of color on Instagram.
In this study, most of the top skin of color posts were promotional (61.6%).3 In regard to TikTok and skin of color, a recent study used hashtags generated from a list of common conditions from the skin of color website. Their search revealed that dermatologists were responsible for 20% of the content posted.4 To our knowledge, there are no studies that analyze TikTok content when searching hashtags specific to black skin.
In this study, most of the top skin of color posts were promotional (61.6%).3 In regard to TikTok and skin of color, a recent study used hashtags generated from a list of common conditions from the skin of color website. Their search revealed that dermatologists were responsible for 20% of the content posted.4 To our knowledge, there are no studies that analyze TikTok content when searching hashtags specific to black skin.
OBJECTIVES
1. To determine what type of content is seen in the top posts on TikTok when using hashtags specific to black skin.
2. To report the top skin concerns that are discussed in TikTok videos related to black skin.
3. To determine who is posting dermatology TikTok videos related to black skin and what percentage of the posters are board-certified dermatologists.