According to a research by Web monitoring specialists M-Brain Oy, online chat sites included questions about the dosage of psychological medication, as doctors appeared to be too busy to give official dosage instructions. Chats also included criticism of medical companies’ aggressive marketing, since it urges people to take more medication. Chat participants additionally suspect that medication marketing directs doctors to prescribe the most marketed medication brands.

Medication safety most discussed
The most popular online discussion topic is medication safety, and the related discussion on the medications’ drawbacks and side-effects. Many people used chats as sources of information about their own medications, or to ask about the possible side effects of the medication they were about to start taking. Discussing the medication online was based on the fact that the doctors were too busy to discuss to give advice and that the medical industry was not seen as a fully neutral information source. Psychological medications were discussed the most.

Medication marketing and doctors’ ethics raise questions
The discussion on medication marketing brought fourth the lack of confidence in the medical industry and the information given by doctors. The medication advertising was seen as urging people to take more medication. The chat participants especially worried about overmedicating among the elderly. Additionally, the doctors were seen as excessivelly subservient to the medical industry, and prescribing the most marketed medication brands to patients. According to a chat participant, ”the doctor’s motive was not to heal, but to sell more medication”.

M-Brain’s research followed around 23 000 Finnish chat and blog entries, in which the topics were drugs, medication safety, compensation policy and medication marketing. The research covered the entries published between February and August 2008. M-Brain’s medication research is a part of a wider social media opinion research series, the following parts of which will be ready in the end of autumn 2008.

Additional information on the research:
Pauliina Markkanen
media analyst
pauliina.markkanen@m-brain.fi
p. +358 9 4242 5225

**
Press release 12.8.2008

PRICES AND QUALITY OF FOOD A HOT ONLINE TOPIC
M-Brain did research on food discussion online

According to a research by the Web monitoring specialists M-Brain Oy, Finnish consumers are increasingly concerned with the rise in the prices of food items. The main object of concern in blogs and chats was the increase in the prices of everyday groceries, which affected a number of consumers. The quality of food and the ecological food were a frequent subject of discussion. More ecological products were desired on the shelves.

Food becoming too expensive
The prime food-related topic in blogs and chats was the rise of costs of consumer products. The increse in the price of groceries in particular was addressed as directly affecting the consumers’ shopping behaviour. The minimum amount the discussion participants spent on food weekly was under 10 euros, which meant that under 2 euros were spent on daily grocery shopping. Politics were mainly blamed for the price increase. The criticism was directed particularly at EU’s agricultural policy and the decision-making related to increase in VAT. The participants were also concerned about the weakening of Finnish self-sufficiency.

Ecological products of good quality, but expensive
In the online discussion, quality food was described in terms of ecological and ethical production, health, origin, taste and purity. High quality, healthy food was however considered expensive, which was seen as contributing to unequality between people. Online criticism was also directed against Finnnish food, generally considered high quality.

People form opinions on Internet
Food issues make people talk on daily basis, and dissatisfaction is more easy to expess on the Internet than through traditional media. It’s important to follow online discussions, as they often forecast the future consumption trends. The research highlighted the great popularity of ecological products, commented M-Brain CEO Marjukka Nyberg.

M-Brain’s research examined around 7000 Finnish chat and blog entries, which referred to the quality of pricing of food. The entries examined in the research were published between November 2007 and April 2008. 50,4 % of the entries concerned the pricing, and 52,3% concerned the quality of food. Parts of the discussion were overlapping. M-Brain’s food research is a part of a wider opinion research in social media, the next parts of which will be completed in autumn 2008.

Additional information on results of the research:
Kaisa Eskola
service manager
kaisa.eskola@m-brain.fi
p. +358 40 595 5592