Impact on online research on celebrities' uncommon diseases: the curious case of Justin Bieber and Ramsay Hunt syndrome

AimWe investigated how to use Internet user searches to gauge the impact of a celebrity illness on global public interest.MethodsThe study design is cross-sectional. Data on Internet searches were obtained from Google Trends (GT) for the period between 2017-2022 using the search words Ramsay Hunt syndrome (RHS), Ramsay Hunt syndrome type 2, Herpes zoster, and Justin Bieber. The frequency of specific page views for Ramsay Hunt syndrome, Ramsay Hunt syndrome type 1, Ramsay Hunt syndrome type 2, Ramsay Hunt syndrome type 3, Herpes zoster, and Justin Bieber were collected via a Wikipedia analysis tool that shows the number of times a specific page is viewed. Statistical analyses were performed using the Pearson (r) and Spearman's rank correlation coefficient (rho).ResultsGT data, in 2022, show a strong correlation for Justin Bieber and RHS or RHS type 2 (r = 0.75); similarly, Wikipedia data show a strong correlation for Justin Bieber and the others explored terms (r > 0.75). Furthermore, the correlation was strong between GT and Wikipedia for RHS (rho = 0.89) and RHS type 2 (rho = 0.88).ConclusionsThe peak search times for the GT and Wikipedia pages were during the same period. Useful new tools and analyses of Internet traffic data may be effective in assessing the impact of announced celebrity uncommon illnesses on global public interest.

Automated summary

This study investigated the use of Internet user searches to gauge the impact of a celebrity illness on global public interest. Data from Google Trends and Wikipedia were analyzed, and a strong correlation was found between the search volume for Justin Bieber and Ramsay Hunt syndrome (RHS) or RHS type 2. The results suggest that analyzing Internet traffic data can be an effective tool for assessing the impact of celebrity illnesses on global public interest.