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Covert Promotional Cancer-Related Content in Korean Search Engines: Computational Content Analysis of Naver and
Kyung Han You1, Ho Young Yoon2, Dalyong Kim3
1Department of Media and Communication Studies, Jeonbuk National University, Baekjaedaero 567, Jeonju, Jeollabuk-do, Republic of Korea.
Background:
Internet search engines serve as primary gateways to cancer information; yet, the commercialization of health content within organic search results remains understudied. While covert promotional content-such as native advertising and stealth marketing-has been documented in various contexts, systematic comparisons across structurally divergent search platforms are lacking.
Objective:
This study examined the prevalence, distribution, and information quality characteristics of covert promotional cancer-related content across Naver and Google, South Korea's 2 dominant search engines, which have fundamentally different platform architectures.
Methods:
A 2-phase cross-sectional content analysis was conducted. Phase 1 used natural language processing to identify 34 cancer-related keywords from 1400 preliminary posts. Phase 2 systematically collected 5848 posts in October 2023, yielding 919 unique posts (598 from Naver and 321 from Google) that covered 7 major cancer types, collectively accounting for over 70% of Korean cancer incidence. Two trained coders analyzed promotional status, intensity, institutional sources, and information quality indicators (citation practices, information depth, and source attribution), with intercoder reliability exceeding κ=0.80. Chi-square tests were used to examine associations between platform and content characteristics across cancer type.
Results:
Covert promotional content appeared in 48.6% (447/919) of analyzed posts, with a significantly higher prevalence on Google (174/321, 54.2%) than on Naver (273/598, 45.7%; χ²1=5.78; P=.02). Platform differences were pronounced. Naver promotional posts predominantly originated from blogs (262/273, 96.0%) and exhibited full promotional intensity (126/242, 52.1%), while Google posts primarily came from hospital websites (141/174, 81.0%) with simple institutional identification (52/90, 57.8%). Institutional source distribution varied significantly by platform (χ²5=209.642; P<.001). Traditional medicine institutions dominated Naver (119/120, 99.2%), whereas university-affiliated hospitals predominated on Google (96/113, 85.0%). Information quality also differed substantially. Indirect citation was more common on Google (142/174, 81.6%) than on Naver (160/273, 58.6%; χ²1=25.653; P<.001), while comparative informational depth was higher on Google (97/174, 55.7%) versus Naver (53/273, 19.4%; χ²2=64.683; P<.001).
Conclusions:
Covert promotional cancer content is pervasive in Korean search results, with platform architecture systematically shaping promotional patterns, institutional sources, and information quality rather than reflecting deliberate marketing strategies. These findings underscore the need for platform-sensitive regulation and enhanced digital health literacy to protect vulnerable cancer information seekers from commercial exploitation embedded within ostensibly neutral search environments.
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