H-Index or Hype Index? Are High H-Index Surgeons the Real Influencers on Social Media?

Social media platforms, particularly TikTok and Instagram Reels, have transformed professional visibility in medicine. Facial plastic surgeons (FPS) leverage these platforms for public education and patient outreach. However, the relationship between social media popularity and scholarly impact remains unclear.This study examines whether an otolaryngologist's social media presence correlates with their H-index, a measure of academic credibility. We hypothesize that higher H-index scores predict greater social media engagement on Instagram and TikTok.Cross-sectional study.We extracted HypeAuditor data for TikTok and Instagram engagement metrics among users with otolaryngology content with ≥25,000 followers. H-index was retrieved from Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. Correlation analyses were performed.Instagram H-index correlated positively with follower count and quality audience, while TikTok showed no significant association.Academic credibility influences Instagram engagement but not TikTok, highlighting platform-specific differences in professional influence.