The term “infodemiology” can be described as the science of distribution and determinants of information both online in an electronic format, such as the internet as well as offline within a population. The overall objective is to provide data on public health and policy. This concept forms a bridge between information found online and public health, which includes risks such as the rapid spread of misinformation on the internet that can influence health data consumption by the public.

The digital age of rapid access to information has led to an “infodemic.” The World Health Organization (WHO) defines the term “infodemic” as the overabundance of information during an epidemic or disease outbreak that comprises both accurate and inaccurate components in digital and physical environments. A combination of a high volume of information as well as rapid output of information can lead to collateral growth of health-related misinformation that is available online.