We need to talk about social media
He has 10 million followers, but how did Karan Rangarajan become one of the digital world’s most trusted medical voices? Marese O’Hagan finds out
You may have already stumbled across the name Dr Karan Raj on social media. Known as the ‘TikTok/Instagram doctor’, Karan Rangarajan has become something of a superstar in recent years and his social media presence speaks for itself.
At the time of writing, he had amassed a following of almost 10 million people across TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, X (formerly known as Twitter) and Facebook.
An NHS General Surgeon by day, Rangarajan aims to promote health awareness while using his online profile to dispel medical disinformation and misinformation – two uncomfortable side effects of social media, which have become more prevalent since the Covid-19 pandemic. But Rangarajan is careful not to present himself as the be-all and end-all of health education: his viewers should be informed by his content but also entertained.
“I always say that my videos are not an exhaustive guide or a management plan, treatment plan or medical advice,” he says. “It’s not that. It’s a combination of entertainment and information.”
Dispelling dishonesty
With political and social polarisation only increasing around the world, social media platforms can quickly become toxic places, driving people apart while striving to bring them together. The world of surgery on social media is no exception, with online debate often declining to the level of shouting matches and accusations.
But social media does not have to act as a wedge, it can also act as a tool to spread some enlightenment and dispel some harmful health misconceptions – something Rangarajan hopes to achieve through his posts.
Rangarajan’s content often depicts him reacting and responding to viral videos, some of which make bogus claims about health issues. These viral videos often represent a more dangerous side to social media. The fact is that, if you want to become the next online sensation, outrageous and fictitious claims help to get you noticed. Likes, shares and sometimes full-blown arguments in comment sections all generate the crucial engagement needed to go viral. Enter Rangarajan, armed to dismiss – or sometimes back up – the claims in these videos. A quick glance at his recent TikTok content shows him discussing all sorts of health claims, from the levels of aflatoxins in corn to the science behind ‘cortisol face’.
Ultimately he wants his videos to act as a stepping stone for the curious, so viewers are encouraged to research a topic for themselves. “Say I talk about a topic that provokes some interest, I want people to think, ‘That’s really interesting. Let me go read up more about it,’” he explains. “That’s how I’ve always positioned myself. Essentially, I just want to bridge the gap between doctors – medical professionals – and the public, but also to raise the level of health literacy.”
Rangarajan continues: “An example of that would be if I make a video talking about fibre, and it encourages a few hundred or a few thousand people to be more mindful of their diets and increase their fibre intake. Does that then mean, hypothetically, that maybe if they’ve improved their fibre in their diets, they have a lower cardiovascular disease risk?”
This, he says, could have a positive knock-on effect on the healthcare system: “Then, if there’s a higher percentage of the population that has a lower risk of those things, they might see their doctor less for X, Y and Z.”
Starting from scratch
From 2008 to 2014, Rangarajan studied medicine at Imperial College London, gaining a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) degree as well as a Bachelor’s degree in Haematology. Alongside his surgical work and social media activities, Rangarajan is also a Senior Clinical Lecturer at the University of Sunderland Medical School.
He began his social media career during his period but, like many prominent online figures, Rangarajan did not set out to cultivate a multi-million-strong following.
In 2012, while a medical student, he began posting content aimed at fellow students and early-career doctors. This content focused on tests called Objective Structured Clinical Examinations – the OSCEs. When it came to revising for these exams, Rangarajan found very few resources online so he decided to make his own. “There weren’t any videos helping students with how to revise for or how to get better [at the OSCEs],” he says. “So I thought this would be a good opportunity to make some videos.
“Two of my colleagues and I set up the OSCE Station channel on YouTube and we made these videos – and they got a bit of a cult following of 15,000 to 20,000 followers.”
A lot of these followers were medical students in the UK and across the world, who had the opportunity to leave instant feedback – an aspect Rangarajan particularly welcomed. But his career really took off with the rise of short-form content, popularised initially by TikTok. This type of content was soon to feature on most prominent social media platforms, taking the form of Reels on Instagram and Shorts on YouTube.
“I changed tack a little bit,” Rangarajan says. “I moved towards more population-based information and public health information rather than targeting the medical professionals.”
Rangarajan admits that the threshold for success on social media is now very different to what it was when he first entered the space. “The entry barrier was very low in terms of production quality, content quality,” he says. “So I was able to get away with worse content than I could now.”
A numbers game
The nature of social media means the number of people Rangarajan manages to reach can vary depending on the platform.
“For example, I might have a video about constipation, and I’ll post the same video everywhere,” he says. “I’ll post it on LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook. I would say that the same video posted everywhere could, in a single day, get more than a million views at least. It could equally get more than a million views in just one of those places as well.”
While numbers certainly have an impact on how well a video performs, Rangarajan knows to prioritise the impact that the information – and not the metrics – can have.
“I’ve had videos that have reached almost a hundred million views,” he explains. “I’ve had videos reach 10,000 [views]. But I care less about those kinds of metrics – I call them vanity metrics, where you care about the views. I care more about providing value. I’ve found that even a video that, supposedly, has a lower reach or engagement could potentially provide more value.”
The almighty algorithm
Success on social media relies strongly on the algorithm, the feature implemented by platforms that decides exactly how many users see your content. The algorithm is out of the control of content creators and can sometimes be a sore point. Rangarajan recognises that, in some cases, a booming social media career comes down to pure luck. Even consistency doesn’t guarantee success.
“And there is no guarantee that you’ll be successful, but I think one of the ingredients for success is consistency,” he posits. “You can’t be successful without consistency but there’s no guarantee of success if you’re consistent.”
Rangarajan’s success on social media has led him to cultivate a presence far outside its realms. He has appeared on This Morning, a daytime programme that airs on ITV in the UK every weekday. Last year, Rangarajan published his first book, This Book Might Save Your Life, which chronicles the inner workings of the human body and advises how best to keep it ticking. His next book, This is Vital Information, is set to be released next year.
Taking action against hate
Whatever their intentions when posting on social media, every creator opens themselves up to a range of feedback. While this can sometimes be fair and balanced, often it is vicious and excessive – behaviour encouraged by the anonymity afforded by these platforms. Unsurprisingly, certain health-related topics – such as weight, vaccines and women’s health – can be a tractor beam for hatred.
“I think if you put yourself on any pedestal, or any platform that’s going out to the entire world, then you’ll get people who don’t align with your world views, don’t align with your opinions, and disagree with things,” Rangarajan explains.
“Sometimes that disagreement can boil over to the point where it can be vitriolic or abusive – that tends to happen especially with health creators and it depends on the topic as well.”
Go for it
But Rangarajan emphasises that the hate he receives is generally “drowned out” by the positive comments.
“I barely see any outright hate,” he says. “There might be a few [hateful comments] that I come across. But I would also say that you get used to it as well over the years.”
Most social media platforms have dedicated tools that can be used to prevent abuse. For example, users can block others from interacting with their profiles and can restrict certain words from appearing in their comments sections.
All of this, combined with the stress of a job in the surgical field, can’t be a walk in the park. So would Rangarajan recommend content creation to other medical professionals?
Absolutely, he says, offering up two main pieces of advice: get started and be consistent. In fact, Rangarajan finds that certain aspects of embarking on a social media career mirror the experience of surgical training.
“Don’t worry about lighting or sound – you’ve got a phone, you’ve got a camera, you’ve got the internet, go and do the thing,” he advises. “I think that’s the easiest thing.
“Everything else is just being consistent and showing up, just like you do with the surgical job. How do I learn how to do gallbladder surgery? You’ve just got to keep doing it. You have to start somewhere, you might start badly and not know how to do it all, but you do little bits and then you get trained.”
He continues: “Then you watch other people and then you do it yourself and, eventually, 50 operations down the line, you can do it. It’s the same with social media.”
Go for it
But Rangarajan emphasises that the hate he receives is generally “drowned out” by the positive comments.
“I barely see any outright hate,” he says. “There might be a few [hateful comments] that I come across. But I would also say that you get used to it as well over the years.”
Most social media platforms have dedicated tools that can be used to prevent abuse. For example, users can block others from interacting with their profiles and can restrict certain words from appearing in their comments sections.
All of this, combined with the stress of a job in the surgical field, can’t be a walk in the park. So would Rangarajan recommend content creation to other medical professionals?
Absolutely, he says, offering up two main pieces of advice: get started and be consistent. In fact, Rangarajan finds that certain aspects of embarking on a social media career mirror the experience of surgical training.
“Don’t worry about lighting or sound – you’ve got a phone, you’ve got a camera, you’ve got the internet, go and do the thing,” he advises. “I think that’s the easiest thing.
“Everything else is just being consistent and showing up, just like you do with the surgical job. How do I learn how to do gallbladder surgery? You’ve just got to keep doing it. You have to start somewhere, you might start badly and not know how to do it all, but you do little bits and then you get trained.”
He continues: “Then you watch other people and then you do it yourself and, eventually, 50 operations down the line, you can do it. It’s the same with social media.”
Social superstars
Five top surgeons to follow on social media
Martyn Stott – Academic Surgical Trainee
X: @mstotty88
Martyn Stott is a Specialty Trainee in General Surgery, who sub-specialises in hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgery in North West England. He is also an Honorary Clinical Lecturer in Surgical Oncology at the University of Manchester.
Sam Atallah - Colorectal Surgeon
X: @SamAtallahMD
Sam Atallah is a Colorectal Surgeon and a Professor of Surgery at the University of Central Florida College of Medicine. Previously, he held the role of Assistant Professor of Surgery at the university. He is also the department chairman at AdventHealth Central Florida and received his MD at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School.
Rhea Liang - General and Breast Surgeon
X: @LiangRhea
Rhea Liang is a General and Breast Surgeon living on Australia’s Gold Coast. She holds the roles of Surgical Discipline Lead and Surgical Educationalist at Bond University. Previously, she was the Chair of the Operating With Respect Education Committee at the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.
Simon Fleming – Orthopaedic Hand and Wrist Surgeon
X: @OrthopodReg
Simon Fleming campaigns against bullying and discrimination in the NHS under the hashtag #HammerItOut to improve healthcare workplaces for staff and patients. He is also Vice-Chair of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges Trainee Doctors’ Group and Associate Editor of Medical Education and The Clinical Teacher at the Association for the Study of Medical Education.
Farah Bhatti OBE - Cardiac Surgeon
X: @DrFBE
Farah Bhatti OBE is a Cardiac Surgeon. She is also an Honorary Professor at the Swansea University Medical School, a Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon for NHS Wales and Lead for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at the Royal College of Surgeons of England. Bhatti was awarded her OBE in 2021 for Services to Diversity in the NHS in Wales.
Martyn Stott – Academic Surgical Trainee
X: @mstotty88
Martyn Stott is a Specialty Trainee in General Surgery, who sub-specialises in hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgery in North West England. He is also an Honorary Clinical Lecturer in Surgical Oncology at the University of Manchester.
Sam Atallah - Colorectal Surgeon
X: @SamAtallahMD
Sam Atallah is a Colorectal Surgeon and a Professor of Surgery at the University of Central Florida College of Medicine. Previously, he held the role of Assistant Professor of Surgery at the university. He is also the department chairman at AdventHealth Central Florida and received his MD at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School.
Rhea Liang - General and Breast Surgeon
X: @LiangRhea
Rhea Liang is a General and Breast Surgeon living on Australia’s Gold Coast. She holds the roles of Surgical Discipline Lead and Surgical Educationalist at Bond University. Previously, she was the Chair of the Operating With Respect Education Committee at the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.
Simon Fleming – Orthopaedic Hand and Wrist Surgeon
X: @OrthopodReg
Simon Fleming campaigns against bullying and discrimination in the NHS under the hashtag #HammerItOut to improve healthcare workplaces for staff and patients. He is also Vice-Chair of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges Trainee Doctors’ Group and Associate Editor of Medical Education and The Clinical Teacher at the Association for the Study of Medical Education.
Farah Bhatti OBE - Cardiac Surgeon
X: @DrFBE
Farah Bhatti OBE is a Cardiac Surgeon. She is also an Honorary Professor at the Swansea University Medical School, a Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon for NHS Wales and Lead for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at the Royal College of Surgeons of England. Bhatti was awarded her OBE in 2021 for Services to Diversity in the NHS in Wales.
A toxic place or a useful tool for positivity?
RCSEd President Professor Rowan Parks on how surgeons can best use social media
Social media is, unsurprisingly, one of the most discussed topics in the modern world, so it is only fitting that this edition of Surgeons’ News is themed around that important subject.
Personally, I’m aware of the sometimes toxic nature of social media. It’s not necessarily the best forum for nuanced discussions about controversial issues but, after some reflection, I’m also aware that it can be a useful tool for positive stories and informed debate.
Yet we realise as a College – and I realise as an individual and as President – that we need to be listening to the mood music. We need to share practice but do it in a respectful and professional way.
As a College, we are still on the journey of what exactly this looks like, and what it means. Where possible, we still prioritise face-to-face discussion and dialogue when it comes to complex issues. Social media should not be used as a forum for these types of discussions - unfortunately, there have been a lot of hurtful and harmful things said. At the end of the day, clinicians must be professional.
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