Ozempic's Rise on Pinterest: Weight Loss Buzz and Concerns

Using social listening data to see what the market thinks about new weight loss drugs

Content warning: This brief mentions suicide and weight-related topics. If you are or someone you know is in crisis, please reach out to the National Suicide and Crisis hotline by dialing 988.

A new medication emerges

A reliable weight loss drug has tantalized medical researchers for decades. Doctors and dieticians have relegated weight loss to personal behavior and decision-making. However, that could be changing just within the last several months. Pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk, in their pursuit of diabetes medication, discovered an unintentional side effect for their medication Ozempic - weight loss. People taking Ozempic lose 15-20% of their body weight without the previously needed dieting and exercise.

Correspondingly, Ozempic has exploded on social media over the last three months. While the Food and Drug Administration approved Ozempic in 2017, post volume grew by 3,404% over the last three years as the drug’s weight loss properties became more apparent. High-influence accounts like Hollywood celebrities and news outlets have fueled much of this post volume growth. Unlike other trends we've looked at before, this post volume growth has been steady and shows no signs of slowing. We'll take you through our indicators and demographics of who's been talking about Ozempic online and let you know the warning signs we see about the drug.

Figure 1: Post volume attributed to Ozempic (September 2020 through September 2023); Infegy Atlas data.

Social conversation situated between diabetes and weight loss

First, we'll take a look at where the Ozempic conversation sits. To do this, we'll use a custom Venn diagram visualization to show the size and overlap over a conversation. We can do this using set theory - specifically isolating diabetes, weight loss, Ozempic discussions, and the five other intersections. You'll notice that diabetes and weight loss are massive compared with the Ozempic conversation. We collected 8 million posts about diabetes and 4.5 million about weight loss over the last three years. However, Ozempic, even though it's supposed to be a diabetes drug, has nearly as many posts that mention weight loss as diabetes. This conversational distribution follows a similar pattern to the one we saw with Viagra. Although its original purpose was to reduce hypertension and chest pain, it has morphed into a drug designed to combat erectile dysfunction.

Figure 2: Ozempic overlap with diabetes and weight loss conversation (September 2020 through September 2023); Custom data visualization built with Infegy Atlas API.

Ozempic’s huge positivity growth

Driving that surge in post volume has been a surge of positivity, specifically in the context of weight loss. Before Ozempic's widespread recognition, people with diabetes frequently talked about it. This audience context explains the sharply negative sentiment. Diabetes is hardly a pleasant experience, with harsh symptoms like excessive thirst, swollen feet, blurry vision, and amputation risk. However, as Ozempic became more widely known as a potential cure for weight loss, Infegy Atlas detected an 11,437% increase in positive documents around the drug and a 1,362% increase in positive documents around Novo Nordisk, the pharmaceutical company that invented Ozempic. While negative post volume has grown as well, it has grown at less than half the rate of the growth of the positive and neutral documents.

However, despite this surge in positivity from April through June, we've detected a resurgent negative conversation from July through August. We'll now dive into what's causing this negative surge.

Figure 3: Sentimental documents attributed to Ozempic (September 2020 through September 2023); Infegy Atlas data.

Pinterest as a channel of growth

Now that we've detected a positive surge of attention, we wanted to determine where that volume originated. Twitter is the leading source of post volume about Ozempic. Twitter's lead makes sense: Twitter typically covers breaking news topics and hot takes. Ozempic has been all over the news over the last few months. Pinterest's placement is surprising. Ozempic post volume on the platform has grown 1,600% since May 2023.

Diving into that conversation, we found Pinterest topics around dieting and weight loss for women going on Ozempic. Much of the conversation involves Pinterest’s characteristic how-tos, specifically around the Ozempic diet. Traditionally, Pinterest is a female-led, positive platform. We detected that women authors made up 80% of all Pinterest volume we collected during that time, and those posts had a whopping 94% positivity rate.

Figure 4: Channel universe of Ozempic conversation(September 2020 through September 2023); Infegy Atlas data.

Growth in female share of conversation

Next, we'll explain that most of this conversation is female-led. Infegy Atlas can detect the post author's gender by using keywords like "mother" or "she/her/hers" in source bio posts. Based on Pinterest data, we quantify our earlier speculation and note that women make up 59% of Ozempic-related conversations. Additionally, the female share of conversation has grown by 21% over the last three years, while men's share of the discussion has dropped by the same percentage.

This female share of conversation is hardly surprising; we live in a society where women are highly pressured to maintain a slim, youthful appearance. We can use Infegy Atlas data to corroborate that stereotype: female authors make up 59% of dieting-related conversations, 62% of posts over the last three months mention "skinny," and 54% say "youthful." Ozempic has the potential to upend a multi-billion dollar dieting industry, so it's not surprising that it matches the exact audience of those interested in dieting.

Figure 5: Gender distribution attributed to Ozempic, "Skinny," and "Youthful" (September 2020 through September 2023); Infegy Atlas data.

Top Emotions by gender

Based on the analysis, social media users view Ozempic positively. However, Pinterest's rosy veneer can disguise many of the drug's adverse side effects. To do that, we'll look at top Emotions by Gender over the last three years. We can do this using Infegy Starscape's new API that enables query aggregation three layers deep (Time -> Gender -> Emotion).

In Figure 5, we track the total documents by each aggregator. The top Emotions for both men and women are Anticipation, Disgust, and Anger. These latent surges in negative emotions help explain the growing negativity in Figure 3. We'll now dive into Disgust to see what people complain about.

Figure 6: Top Emotions by Gender attributed to Ozempic (September 2020 through September 2023); Infegy Starscape data.

Negative Topics speak to the warnings

While Ozempic initially seemed like an easy way to lose weight, there are numerous side effects that people on the internet have started complaining about. The chief side effect is vomiting, prominently displayed in a negative keyword word cloud. Moreover, Ozempic is quite expensive for those without insurance at more than $1000/month in the United States. Social media users reflect those concerns with terms like "costs," "money," and "insurance."

Even more troubling is the presence of "suicide." NBC News reported that Ozempic's competitor, Wegovy, comes with a warning that taking the product could cause suicidal ideation among its patients. While Ozempic has not yet added this warning to its packaging, European regulators have started probing the suicidal risk.

Figure 7: Sentimental keywords attributed to Ozempic (September 2020 through September 2023); Infegy Starscape data.

Takeaways for a pharmaceutical or healthcare social listening practice

Using social listening tools to understand the audience's perception of Ozempic and similar weight loss drugs has revealed valuable insights. Ozempic's unexpected weight loss side effect has generated significant online attention, driven by positive discussions, particularly in the context of weight loss. However, there have been fluctuations in sentiment, with a recent resurgence of negativity.

Pinterest, surprisingly, emerged as a key platform for discussing Ozempic, especially among women interested in weight loss. The female share of conversation has grown, aligning with societal pressures for a slim and youthful appearance.

Despite the overall positivity, users have expressed concerns about Ozempic's side effects, cost, and potential links to suicide, echoing the need for careful consideration and monitoring of this drug's usage. Understanding these audience insights is crucial for pharmaceutical companies and healthcare professionals navigating the landscape of weight loss medications.

Key Takeaways on Ozempic's Market Influence

Ozempic has gained surprising popularity as a weight loss aid despite being originally intended for diabetes. This unexpected benefit has provoked a substantial online buzz, highlighted by a 3,404% increase in social media discussions over the past three years, with celebrity endorsements and news boosts playing a pivotal role.

Social Media Conversations: Diabetes to Weight Loss

A comparison reveals nearly equal mentions of Ozempic in both diabetes and weight loss discussions, mirroring historical trends seen in other medications with secondary benefits, such as Viagra.

Positivity and Negativity Surge

The online sentiment toward Ozempic has seen an 11,437% surge in positivity, mainly due to its weight loss effects. However, recent months have tracked a rising tide of negative posts, possibly linked to side effects and concerns about its cost.

Pinterest: A Surprising Growth Channel

Pinterest emerges surprisingly as a growing discussion platform for Ozempic, particularly in the context of weight loss among women, with women authoring 80% of posts and demonstrating a 94% positivity rate.

Female-Led Conversations and Emotional Concerns

Women dominate 59% of Ozempic-related conversations, with a notable focus on dieting, aligning with societal pressures for slimness. Yet, negative emotions like Disgust and Anger are rising, hinting at underlying concerns about the medication.

Potential Side Effects and Cost Concerns

Conversations hint at significant side effects such as vomiting and the high cost of the medication, posing challenges for uninsured users. Additionally, potential links to suicidal thoughts bring critical scrutiny and caution regarding its usage.