Before social media and search engines, many people relied on a small circle for health advice: family members, friends or a primary care provider. Today, those networks have stretched far beyond geography.

Online communities connect people navigating similar diagnoses, treatments or life stages. For patients with rare conditions or complex needs, especially in rural areas, those connections can offer validation and practical insight that might not exist locally.

“Anytime you have more people thinking about something together, you’re going to get more ideas and support,” Dr. Eckhaus says.

For some patients, that shared experience helps reduce isolation and encourages earlier engagement with care.

When Information Becomes Overwhelming

But the volume of information – and the way it is presented – can also distort expectations.

“What I hear from patients is that social media can highlight extremes of parenthood and the transitions associated with it,” says Jennifer Auletta, a behavioral health integrated care manager at University of Vermont Health - Central Vermont Medical Center.

In areas like pregnancy and postpartum mental health, she says, online content often presents only two possible narratives: Everything is either going perfectly, or something is seriously wrong.

“Most people are somewhere in the middle,” Auletta says. “That’s harder to find online.”

That absence of nuance can fuel anxiety, particularly when algorithms prioritize emotionally charged or sensational content over balanced perspectives.  

“It can also shape what patients expect to hear before a clinical conversation even begins, or it can inhibit patients from sharing,” says Auletta. “This happens a lot in postpartum emotional transitions.”

The Appeal — and Risk — of AI

AI tools add yet another layer to how patients interpret their symptoms and options.

Unlike social media, which centers on shared experiences, AI often presents information as direct answers. The language can sound authoritative, even definitive, despite the uncertainty inherent in medicine. “There’s a tendency to simplify and land on one answer,” Dr. Eckhaus says. “But in medicine, we work hard to do the opposite.”

Clinicians are trained to consider multiple possibilities at once, weighing incomplete information and changing circumstances. AI tools may reinforce a single explanation, especially if it aligns with what a user already suspects.

That dynamic can lead to confirmation bias, where patients fixated on a diagnosis before a full evaluation has taken place.

Vulnerability, Trust and the Search for Answers

For some patients, online tools feel easier than reaching out to a clinician.

“I’ve heard people say they turn to AI because they feel the responses are less judgmental.” - Jennifer Auletta

That sense of safety can be meaningful, especially for patients grappling with stigma, fear or uncertainty. But AI tools do not build relationships over time or recognize subtle patterns in behavior and history the way a professional can.

At the same time, clinicians often meet patients during stressful or vulnerable moments, when trust may already feel fragile and time limited.

Using Online Information as a Starting Point

“I really like it when patients come in with information,” Dr. Eckhaus says. “It can help guide the discussion [about what they’re thinking and what matters to them].”

When patients and clinicians treat it as a shared reference, not a verdict, it can deepen conversations rather than derail them.

The challenge is keeping that information in context. Guidance from reliable sources, like major medical organizations, established health systems and peer reviewed research, can help ground what patients find online.

Ultimately, online information works best as a starting point, not a substitute, for care.

Making the Most of Your Visit