Online wellness content: 3 ways to tell evidence-based health information from pseudoscience
“I drink borax!” proclaims the smiling TikToker. Holding up a box of the laundry additive, she rhymes off a list of its supposed health benefits: “Balances testosterone and estrogen. It’s a powerhouse anti-inflammatory…. It’s amazing for arthritis, osteoporosis…. And obviously it’s great for your gut health.”
Videos like these prompted health authorities to warn the public about the dangers of ingesting this toxic detergent — and away from such viral messaging that promotes unsubstantiated and medically dangerous health claims.
Health information is increasingly being shared online, and often the borders between legitimate health expertise and pseudoscience aren’t clear. While the internet can be a valuable and accessible way to learn about health, it’s also a place rife with disinformation and grift, as unscrupulous influencers exploit people’s fears about their bodies.
Evidence and influencers
Some TikTokers claimed drinking borax had health benefits. In fact, borax is toxic and shouldn’t be ingested. (Michelle Cohen)
In my medical practice, I can usually track online wellness trends, such as a patient refusing a medication because of online claims — many of which are false — that it lowers testosterone, or the several months when it seemed everyone was taking turmeric for joint pain, or the patients who request an ivermectin prescription in case they catch COVID.
So how does someone who simply wants to learn more about the human body sift through the information? How to separate bad-faith grift from good advice?
Wellness influencers tap into a truth about how we process information: it’s more trustworthy when it comes from a person we feel like we know. That’s why a charismatic personality’s Instagram account that uses intimate stories to promote parasocial attachment — the sense of being part of a community — is more memorable than a website offering dry recitations of evidence.
But as social media has become ubiquitous, health experts have caught on that sharing their personal side alongside reliable advice can be a good use of their platform. At first glance, these two groups may seem similar, but the following tips can help determine if the person posting health advice is actually knowledgeable on the topic:
1) Are they selling something?
Rarely do popular wellness influencers post out of the goodness of their hearts. Almost invariably these accounts are trying to profit from the virality of their content.
Whether it’s a supplement store, a diet book, a subscription to a lifestyle community or a Masterclass series, the end goal is the same: transform social media influence into sales. Gushing over life-changing benefits from something the promoter is selling should always prompt skepticism.
Some legitimate health experts also sell advice, usually in the form of newsletters, books or podcasts, and this is worth keeping in mind. However, there’s a big difference between selling a subscription to a health newsletter that discusses evidence and promoting your own supplement shop, where your financial motives shape how you present the information.
2) What are the boundaries of their expertise?
True expertise in a subject requires years of dedicated study and practice. That’s why people are rarely experts in more than one or two domains, and no one is a pan-expert on everything.
If a wellness influencer promotes themselves as erudite on all health topics, that’s actually an excellent indication of their lack of knowledge. A real health expert knows the limitations of their knowledge and can call on others’ expertise when needed. So the podcast host who opines on every health issue is substantially less worthwhile to listen to than the podcast host who brings on guest experts for topics outside their scope.
3) How do they talk about science?
Science is a process of discovery, not a static philosophy, so scientists emphasize talking about current evidence rather than “truth”, which is more of a faith-based concept.
If someone wants to post about their personal wellness philosophy or their spiritual journey and how it makes them feel, that’s fine. But dropping in biology jargon without explanation or name-checking one or two questionable studies without fulsome discussion isn’t a meaningful way to engage with the evidence on a health topic.
Science-based information should acknowledge where data are uncertain and where more research is needed. Using the pretext of science to lend credence to a personal “truth” is a form of pseudoscience and should raise red flags.
These three principles are a good framework for deciding whether an influencer’s health content is worth consuming or whether they’re simply trying to sell a new supplement or spread viral disinformation about something like borax.
As online health information becomes easier to find (or harder to avoid), this framework can help people quickly scan a wellness influencer’s profile and make a more informed decision about engaging with their content. This is an important type of media literacy that anyone spending time online should cultivate — for the sake of their health.
Disclosure statement
Michelle Cohen does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Partners
Queen's University, Ontario
Queen's University, Ontario provides funding as a founding partner of The Conversation CA.
Queen's University, Ontario provides funding as a member of The Conversation CA-FR.
source: https://theconversation.com
What are misinformation and disinformation? How do they differ?
Misinformation is the spread of false information without the intent to mislead. Those who share the misinformation may believe it is true, useful or interesting, and have no malicious intent towards the recipients they are sharing it with.
Disinformation is designed or spread with full knowledge of it being false (information has been manipulated), as part of an intention to deceive and cause harm. The motivations can be economic gain, ideological, religious, political or in support of a social agenda among others. Both misinformation and disinformation may cause harm, which comprises threats to decision-making processes as well as health, environment or security.
The key difference between disinformation and misinformation is not the content of the falsehood but the knowledge and intention of the sender.
How does information manipulation affect public health?
Disinformation in public health is a distinct type of information risk which, unlike misinformation, is created with malicious intent to sow discord, disharmony and mistrust in targets such as government agencies, scientific experts, public health agencies, private sector and law enforcement, among others.
The potential impacts of disinformation can be understood through examples during the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic had two key elements that created the perfect storm for disinformation to proliferate and spread. First, it swiftly caused global fear, uncertainty and doubt. Second, it occurred at a point in history where we can easily access, create and share information (as well as misinformation and disinformation) widely over the internet, mobile telecommunications, media and social media platforms. As the pandemic took hold, many posts appeared on social media and spread through instant messaging communications, stoking uncertainty about the treatment, the safety and effectiveness of vaccines, the usefulness of social distancing, and more. This caused social protest, turmoil, delayed vaccine uptake and led to higher death rates in some instances.
How can I protect myself from health-related disinformation?
Think critically and pause before sharing. When encountering new information, everyone should ask themselves:
- Is this content reliable?
- Who is the author?
- What is the source of the claims?
- Is the information outlet reliable?
- How do I feel about this piece of information?
One of the most important things you can do to protect yourself is to find out which sources represent the latest official and evidence-based health or scientific facts about a public health issue or crisis. For example, this could be your country’s Ministry of Health, the World Health Organization’s website, or your local health clinic. You can help your community by guiding your family and friends to these trusted sources and advise them to avoid acting on false information that’s spread through social media, online advertising or instant messaging.
source: www.who.int
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