e-Health for Older Adults: Navigating Misinformation

Abstract

In this position paper, we advocate for the design of more progressive online social networks and their web pages for the user base of older adults, arguing that in order to address the issue of misinformation, strategies attuned to this population of users in particular are needed. We discuss challenges that arise with misleading health information and with websites that support questionable positions with fake reviews (often generated by bots). We also discuss the contribution of search engine results to the difficulties that this population faces when navigating misinformation. We propose an approach where more interaction with users is promoted, and where education about the perils of the online world can be supported, as an additional tool for reducing misinterpretations which may lead to significant negative outcomes. The algorithms which we propose come from the computer science subfields of artificial intelligence, human-computer interaction and information retrieval. The novel stance is insisting on solutions that fit the demographic in question especially well, instead of relying on one-size-fits all approaches, which may disadvantage users who are older adults.