I’ve been beating Consumer Health for a few months now. That means I’m standing directly in the path of a lot of bad “health” advice on social media. For example: Take potato juice Instead of antibiotics for strep throat (What? no); Get yourself a beer For a good tan (ouch — use sunscreen or stay in the shade); Scoop dry protein powder directly into your mouth (Bad idea!)
This means I think a lot about the consequences of the bullshit fire hose. people are I’m suffering, and experts, horrified at the sight, are sinking countless hours and dollars into the solution effort. Various scientists and healthcare providers are trying to flood the zone with debunking content. However, it is It is not at all clear whether the content is reaching or changing many minds Health is among the most susceptible to misinformation.
As someone relatively new to debunking work, I hate it. It’s boring, and it’s endless. “A Weird Hack” video influencers seem to barf up in multipacks of a thousand; Before I could pour one of them out, 10 more cropped up. And since I’m not sure what’s written actually reaches people who believe the health claims they see online, the work often feels pointless.
There is plenty of blame to go around for this bleak situation. i am responsible Snake oil salesman Those who allow the frustration and confusion of others and proliferate technology platforms that benefit them. I am responsible for regulators and legislators pull their leg On bringing this huge corporation into check. i am responsible less funding of Universal education, which would otherwise teach kids better critical thinking skills. I blame government agencies whose best intentions have yet to lead to effective communication, and politicians and other public figures who undermine these agencies for influence.
But I have to admit that, in my heart of hearts, I myself want to shake those consumers who blindly follow unsolicited Internet health “advice” without questioning its source. Sorry, but you’re going to believe a rando shilling a “parasite cleanse” and telling you to drink laundry detergent – and not a government scientist who is literally banned from monetization engagements? I sometimes want to give up the humanity of criminals.
It’s not a reaction I’m proud of. After all, the public is on the cutting edge of most things skilled attention the manipulator all the time We know that the growing reach and power of health misinformation is directly tied to a very reasonable Distrust in the system, including government, healthcare industry and scientific experts. Each of these institutions has certain players serious integrity the problem, and they can fail many people in very personal ways. I do not question the right and reason to view these systems with healthy skepticism.
But friends, we can’t go on like this. You and I both know this: recently Survey According to health communications firm Edelman, 63 percent of 18- to 34-year-olds were concerned about misinformation about health. Go on social media For health information or advice.)
Moreover, people are well aware of the harm of believing bullshit, and have insight into how that bullshit has harmed them personally. Fifty percent of adults in the Edelman survey regret They made a health decision based on misinformation from an advertisement, their family or friends, or online content creators.
Still, the nasty fire hose continues. It’s insidious — more often than not, misinformation finds its way into people’s feeds uninvited. It’s more likely to leave people though Confused than believableThis plants the seeds of lingering doubt that can affect health decisions further down the line.
In other words, watching a TikTok about Put a clove of garlic in your nose The crisper might not send you running for the drawer — but the next time you hear about it, you might respond with a “huh” instead of a “hell no.”
Try as they might, public health is having a hell of a time keeping up with all the nonsense out there, especially when so much of it is in video form. The rules of preoccupation Health experts have developed written health information to help consumers find that written health information doesn’t always apply to video, and there are simple tools to help people evaluate the quality of short health videos. scarce.
So what to do the next time a person on the Internet serves up a “weird trick” on social media that promises a jacked bod, a dewy complexion, perfectly balanced hormones and a cancer-free eternity?
First, let your bullshit meter guide you. If a wild health claim is too good to be true, it probably is. It’s also a red flag when the person making the claim relies on language or visuals that trigger hyper-intense emotional reactions like fear and anger, Cambridge University misinformation expert Sander van der Linden said recently. to say The New York Times.
So what to do the next time a person on the Internet serves up a “weird trick” on social media that promises a jacked bod, a dewy complexion, perfectly balanced hormones and a cancer-free eternity?
Is the person sharing the information trying to sell you something with health claims? If so, this is a related sign, and you should be especially careful to check the accuracy of what they are saying.
When in doubt, Google anything that tickles your Spidey senses a little. Has the accuracy of the claim been verified by standard news sites? (Here’s something guidelines To determine whether a news site is credible and a List of news verification resources (from the American Library Association) FactCheck.orgAnd on the site of the medical institution — Cleveland Clinic do something good job This is where you can also take an offline approach by asking your own health care provider, or enlisting a local or university library to help verify certain claims.
Of course, all the groups involved should be doing more to protect us—and if we’re going to have to fight hand-to-hand with an endless stream of health misinformation, we’re going to have to do a more sophisticated job.
Improved education around news literacy that teaches young people to critically evaluate everything they read online – essentially, Pre-banking – A good start is that government agencies and other health institutions can also get better at communicating information to people the way they want and need to hear it.
“The problem is that my videos … are like an hour long, and they’re very boring,” Kristen Bibbins-Domingo, editor-in-chief of the Journal of the American Medical Association, a leading health research publication, said in a statement. Aspen Ideas: Health. “And all the others – they’re very interesting and engaging! I don’t need to be in the business of fooling around with ideas,” he said, but “consumers are consuming.”
Good information can be engineered just as bad information enters users’ feeds. But for this to happen, both public servants and health care providers need to be enabled to do this work more effectively. This means respecting and compensating the work scientists and providers do on social media debunking, and training them to create content that is as likely to go viral as the worst fire hose bullshit.
There is always the possibility that some will force the social media platforms to take some responsibility and actually do something to protect the public from misinformation. But in the meantime, please listen to that faint buzzing sound you now hear almost constantly. It’s your bullshit meter, it’s working harder than ever — and your health could depend on whether you’re paying attention.
