Pathological Processes Among Content Creators on Social Media: Scoping Review

Abstract

Background: Content creators (CCs), like any other worker, are exposed to various occupational hazards that can affect their physical, mental, and social well-being, with psychosocial and ergonomic risks being particularly relevant. The combination of prolonged work hours, sedentary lifestyles, excessive public scrutiny, and often job insecurity and unpredictability (manifested as continuous connectivity and anticipation of sporadic tasks) presents a significant risk for the development of health issues. Objective: This study reviews the scientific literature to identify the potential pathological processes affecting CCs on social media. Methods: The scoping review method was used. Data were obtained from the following bibliographic databases: MEDLINE (via PubMed), Embase, Cochrane Library, PsycINFO, Scopus, Web of Science, and Virtual Health Library. The terms used as descriptors and in the title and abstract fields were “Content Creator” and “Pathologic Processes.” The search was conducted in May 2024. Agreement between authors for paper selection was measured using the Cohen κ coefficient. The documentary quality of the papers was assessed using the STROBE (Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology) questionnaire, and the level of evidence and recommendation grade were determined according to the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network recommendations. Bias was evaluated using the Risk of Bias in Non-randomized Studies of Exposures (ROBINS-E) tool. Results: Of the 1522 references retrieved, 6 papers were selected based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Of the 6 studies reviewed, 3 were exclusively focused on a single gender. The agreement on the relevance of the selected studies, calculated using the κ index, was 84.9% (P