When you're browsing Facebook or TikTok on your phone, you suddenly see a post like, "This popular biscuit has poison in it!" or "If you get the new vaccine, you'll get a dangerous disease!". When you see it, you feel a little scared and worried, don't you? Are these really true? Or are they lies that someone is deliberately spreading? Today, let's talk about how to protect ourselves from this epidemic of fake health information .
Why do we believe news like this so easily?
Many of us think that if something is published in a newspaper or on a website, someone must have checked its truth before publishing it, and why people lie. About twenty years ago, that story was true. But today, the whole situation has changed due to the new, fast-paced, attention-grabbing, and therefore unreliable media. Things about how to cook or play cricket are not so much a problem, but this is very dangerous for your health.
Now look, health advice is everywhere. When a new discovery is made, it spreads around the world within seconds of being announced. When the results of a well-conducted study go from press release to newspaper headlines to Instagram posts to podcasts, the true meaning is very likely to be distorted and misunderstood. If you see a post and have a nagging feeling that something is wrong, trust that feeling. It's no wonder that you can't trace back to where this kind of false propaganda started - that's a key characteristic of fake news.
Never in history have we had to verify hundreds of stories in a day. But now, when we scroll through our phones, we see so much information , where do we have time to verify everything we see?
The conflict between scientific research and fast media
The scientific method is a step-by-step, slow, question-and-answer process that involves examining a theory, asking many questions, and subjecting it to peer-review by other experts in the field. Sometimes it can take years or even decades for a theory to become accepted. Also, our knowledge can change again with subsequent research.
But this systematic, patient scientific method is not at all suitable for today's fast-paced media environment. Because for the media, clicks are money.
" Science is about patterns, not single studies," says Monica Wang, an expert on health misinformation at Boston University. "If a number of unrelated studies, using large groups, suggest a risk, that's when we should be concerned."
For media outlets to survive, their headlines need to be fast-paced, eye-catching, and straight to the point. There's no room for subtlety. If you take the time to dig into what new research is really saying, the story can lose its heat.
The latest addition to this is artificial intelligence, or ``Artificial Intelligence''. This is used to create things like ``deepfakes''. That is, you can create fake videos that pretend to be real doctors and talk about products they would never endorse. You can't really tell if what you're seeing is real or fake. So think twice about news that surprises you, scares you, or seems too good to be true.
How Social Media Misleads You
Health news spreads so quickly because it's easy to share. Social media is a key factor in this. A recent survey found that more than half of adults have used health advice they've seen on social media. That's more than the advice they get from medical professionals.
But health information on social media can be created by anyone, and it doesn't require a medical or scientific background. In the aforementioned survey, 46% of those who sought advice on social media said they got it not from health professionals, but from influencers who talk about general health and wellness.
For an influencer to survive, they need a lot of followers, who want to like, comment, and share their posts. This is why an influencer can exaggerate a very small, common health issue and make it seem like a big deal. The more people see it and share it, the more money they make.
Imagine, how much faster would it spread if you saw a headline that said, 'This famous biscuit is poisoning your children!' rather than 'Scientists conduct expert testing on heavy metal levels in biscuits'?
A recent study of health-related videos on TikTok found that nearly half of them were filled with inaccurate, possibly harmful, information. Another study found that nearly a third of the most popular posts on social media about cancer contained misleading or dangerous information.
Another reason not to trust influencers is that they are paid by the companies that make the products they promote. That means it's a conflict of interest . But in scientific research, researchers are required to disclose any financial ties they have.
Warning signs to identify fake health information
So is there an easy way to spot this kind of fake news? There really isn't one way, but there are a few warning signs to look out for as you scroll.
| Warning sign | What does that simply mean? |
|---|---|
| You are feeling very emotional. | If words like 'toxic', 'deadly', or 'deadly' are used without clear evidence, it's a warning. If you're really scared after seeing a news story, it could be an exaggeration. |
| Just someone's personal experience. | Just because an influencer was harmed by something doesn't mean it's not dangerous for you. It's not data-based, peer-reviewed . |
| We are only talking about one research study. | A single study that is unrelated to other studies is often not conclusive. Also look at how many people participated in it. The more people, the more valuable the results. |
| Only on social media or an unfamiliar website | Real health news is published in several major, reputable media outlets. Search Google to see where else this has been published. |
| Correlation vs. Causation | Sometimes two statistics can match, but that doesn't have to make sense. Think about it, if you say that when ice cream sales increase, murders increase, doesn't that mean that ice cream causes murders? |
| There is a purpose to sell. | If someone takes the time to make a big deal out of a problem and then tries to sell a "cure" for it, that person cannot be trusted. |
If you don't have the time or inclination to delve into the details of a scary headline, just ignore it. Remember this: If in doubt, don't share it.
"Fake news spreads because it triggers strong emotions in us. Not every scary headline indicates a crisis, and we don't need to chase down every lie on the internet to find out if it's true or not."
If you really have a problem with your health, the best person to talk to about it is your doctor.
Take-Home Message
- Don't immediately believe every health news you see on social media, especially scary things.
- Be suspicious of posts that use strong words like 'toxic' and 'deadly' and that trigger your emotions.
- True scientific discoveries are usually based not on a single study, but on the results of several studies.
- If a story ends with an attempt to sell a product or service, it is likely to be misleading.
- Most importantly: If you have even the slightest doubt about any information, do not share it with others.
- For any questions regarding your health, always consult a qualified doctor, not the internet.
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