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In the September 2020 issue of AJPH, Schillinger et al.1 used an innovative epidemic metaphor to propose a framework that examines how social media affects public health. In their article, the authors acknowledged that misinformation (disseminated via social media) is damaging and sows distrust in public health: this has been well established.2 Misinformation and its more nefarious relative, disinformation, are indeed a problem for public health scientists whose interest is promoting health. Many individuals in the public feel alienated from science-which may fuel distrust3-and social media platforms provide an opportunity to engage with others, potentially even instigating debate on a topic. Should a misinformation campaign gain considerable traction, scientists and public health practitioners will take notice and act to dispel the myth and, in some cases, conduct further scientific inquiry.
Yet occasionally there may be indirect and unrealized benefits of misinformation for public health, and this should be...