This book shows how data people leave on the Internet is being employed to answer questions of health and medicine. When we use search engines such as Google or Bing, post messages on social networks, read email or browse the web, we generate a digital trail that is reflective of our activities both online and offline. In the last few years, these digital trails have been used to advance medical research in a variety of ways, including the discovery new side effects of medical drugs, demonstration of the links between eating disorders and the portrayal of celebrities in the media, and the moni ... More

This book shows how data people leave on the Internet is being employed to answer questions of health and medicine. When we use search engines such as Google or Bing, post messages on social networks, read email or browse the web, we generate a digital trail that is reflective of our activities both online and offline. In the last few years, these digital trails have been used to advance medical research in a variety of ways, including the discovery new side effects of medical drugs, demonstration of the links between eating disorders and the portrayal of celebrities in the media, and the monitoring infectious diseases. More generally, the questions Internet data can answer are difficult and even impossible to answer using traditional tools of medical research, because these data provide unprecedented access to the daily activities of very large populations with fewer biases than those of traditional research tools. Much of the recent discussions on the use of Internet data have been focused on the dangers to personal privacy as a result of the collection of these data. This books shows that this information can serve as a benefit to mankind, without sacrificing the privacy of individuals. As evidence, the book discusses studies that utilized Internet data to advance medical research in a variety of areas, ranging from personal questions to those of public health.