Skin of Color Is Underrepresented on Instagram - Assessing South Jersey Skin Talk as an Educational Tool to Increase Awareness

Q: What problem does the study address about Instagram and dermatology information?

The study addresses that people of color are underrepresented on Instagram, creating a gap in accurate and inclusive dermatology education and contributing to misconceptions about skin diseases and related hereditary conditions.

Q: How was the South Jersey Skin Talk (SJST) survey conducted?

A 13-question survey was distributed via Qualtrics through multiple social media channels and remained open for eight weeks. Respondents were adults (18+) and answers were analyzed using chi-squared tests.

Q: What did the results show after participants viewed SJST posts?

After viewing SJST, most participants reported feeling represented on the page and indicated they felt more knowledgeable about their primary skin concern. A high proportion of people of color also reported increased confidence discussing their concerns with a dermatologist.

Oct 13, 2026

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Instagram has over two billion active users and can disseminate dermatologic health information publicly, yet people of color are underrepresented, limiting accurate, inclusive awareness of skin conditions. A student-led initiative, South Jersey Skin Talk (SJST), uses reliable sources to explain dermatologic conditions in skin-of-color communities, particularly in underserved areas such as Camden County, NJ. A 13-question Qualtrics survey analyzed whether SJST improved dermatologic health literacy and representation perceptions.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryGeneral

FormatPDF

Pages10

Reading Time4 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusion

Introduction

Representation gaps in dermatology content on Instagram

Need for inclusive, accurate skin-of-color education

Open Access Original Article DOI: 10.7759/cureus.47388 Review began 09/14/2023 Review ended 10/11/2023 Published 10/20/2023 © Copyright 2023 Fliorent et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License CC-BY 4.0. , which permits unrestricted use , distribution , and reproduction in any medium , provided the original author and source are credited. Skin of Color Is Underrepresented on Instagram: Assessing South Jersey Skin Talk as an Educational Tool to Increase Awareness Rebecca Fliorent 1 , Sonam Mistry 1 , Kiran Javaid 1 , Katharine Milani 1 1. Molecular Biology, Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine, Stratford, USA Corresponding author: Katharine Milani, [milani@rowan.edu](milani@rowan.edu) Abstract Background Instagram, a widely used social media platform with over two billion active users, has the potential to propagate dermatologic health information within the public sphere. However, there is a lack of representation of people of color (POC), making it crucial to share accurate and inclusive posts to increase awareness about dermatologic conditions. It is also necessary to address the misconceptions about skin diseases and other hereditary conditions within various ethnic groups. To combat this, a group of medical students created South Jersey Skin Talk (SJST), an initiative aimed to improve dermatologic health literacy in skin-of-color communities, particularly in underserved areas like Camden County, NJ. Using reliable sources to prevent the spread of misinformation, SJST’s accessible Instagram page explains skin conditions, especially emphasizing appearances and manifestations in POC. The hypothesis being investigated by this group is that the implementation of SJST as a community intervention is expected to improve dermatologic health literacy in POC. Methods A 13-question survey was conducted via Qualtrics (Seattle, Washington) and was distributed on social media (Instagram, Facebook, Reddit, Twitter, TikTok, and GroupMe) . It remained open for eight weeks during which users 18 years or older were invited to participate. The survey was divided into four sections: demographics, Instagram usage, knowledge of dermatology, and inclusion and diversity on SJST’s page. A total of 184 total responses were collected, which were compared using chi-squared analyses on Qualtrics software. Results POC felt less represented on social media compared to White respondents prior to visiting SJST on Instagram (p < 0 .00001) . However, after viewing SJST, 87.5% of White participants and 88% of POC reported feeling represented on the page. Additionally, both groups of respondents indicated that they felt more knowledgeable about their primary skin concern after viewing the SJST’s posts. Furthermore, 86.8% of POC reported that they would feel more confident participating in a conversation with their dermatologist regarding their primary dermatologic concern. Conclusion SJST is a community outreach organization focused on improving health literacy for POC and bridging the gap in healthcare disparities between White and POC populations. The results from this survey confirm the hypothesis and illustrate that community interventions targeted at education for POC increase health literacy and patient autonomy. These results also show that there is a need for more representation and diversity in medical dermatology on social media. Further studies should be done to investigate other disparities affecting adequate representation for POC. Categories: Dermatology Keywords: underrepresented, diversity and inclusion, skin conditions, skin tone, representation, skin of color, dermatology, social media, instagram Introduction Instagram is one of the most popular social media platforms with over two billion active monthly users and therefore has the potential to play an influential role in shaping the narrative of dermatologic health informa

FAQs

What problem does the study address about Instagram and dermatology information?

The study addresses that people of color are underrepresented on Instagram, creating a gap in accurate and inclusive dermatology education and contributing to misconceptions about skin diseases and related hereditary conditions.

How was the South Jersey Skin Talk (SJST) survey conducted?

A 13-question survey was distributed via Qualtrics through multiple social media channels and remained open for eight weeks. Respondents were adults (18+) and answers were analyzed using chi-squared tests.

What did the results show after participants viewed SJST posts?

After viewing SJST, most participants reported feeling represented on the page and indicated they felt more knowledgeable about their primary skin concern. A high proportion of people of color also reported increased confidence discussing their concerns with a dermatologist.

Oct 13, 2026

Upload by DoDO