| Hey everyone, it's Sarah Frier. As more people become eligible for Covid-19 vaccine shots, you're going to hear more conversations online about whether they're safe and effective. We already know that social media isn't a reliable filter of that information. And it's not because the platforms haven't banned enough anti-vaxxers. It's because of the way they're designed, to highlight the most surprising content that's going to elicit the most comments and shares. (We go deep on the effects in this week's Bloomberg Businessweek.) Doctors all around the world have noticed how dramatically an online information diet can affect someone's health. Some are even trying to use their social accounts to weigh in and correct misinformation between shifts. But it's far from their specialty. "The type of content that spreads on social media is very bold, very loud and crisp and juicy," said Max Klymenko, who has 2.2 million TikTok followers. "Scientists and doctors are inherently nuanced, careful, sharp individuals." They don't want to speak in absolutes. For the past few months, Klymenko has been helping train a set of about 30 doctors and scientists who volunteer in a United Nations program called Team Halo. He's trying to make them TikTok famous, too, by advising them to be "a little more bold and a little more attention-grabby, without compromising the integrity of the truth," he said. The doctors see the urgency in learning to cut video and share personal stories, said Faith Uwadiae, an immunologist who wasn't on TikTok prior to the program. She joined Team Halo after seeing family members share herbal remedies, falsely claiming they would work against Covid-19. Scientific pushback didn't always work. "People find it easier to believe information shared by a friend or family member," she said. "You can be a great scientist but it's really, really hard to communicate." The public is more engaged with health information online than ever, presenting an opportunity for people in medicine to build back trust lost by major pharmaceutical companies and governments over decades, said Nighat Arif, a general practitioner in women's health in the U.K., who now has more than 95,000 TikTok followers. "Nobody's going to listen to a politician or scientist getting on to a stage saying you need a vaccine," she said. "They need someone who looks like them that they can trust." The more she talks about Covid-19 on TikTok, the more she experiences the waves of disinformation her patients are also seeing. "You try to tell them, this is how vaccines are formed," and the idea that it could affect fertility is "just nonsensical," she said. There are some listeners who have gone too far down the misinformation rabbit hole—like the ones who falsely accuse her of being paid by U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson or say she'll be microchipped by Bill Gates. "He'd have a boring day if he tracked me," she joked. Becoming a TikTok influencer isn't about fighting the worst of the worst. It's about convincing just a few more people to be comfortable with the shot. Misinformation has become a crucial new battle line of the pandemic. "People will die of the consequences of this," Arif said. "And this is a virus that doesn't need to kill people." —Sarah Frier | 
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