Destructive peddlers of health misinformation: Social media influencers

Social media is awash with influencers vying for our attention so they can profit by selling their courses and hawking their magic solutions and silver bullets.

Often, these grifts are relatively harmless. Yes, they can give people false hope, leave them confused, or waste their time and money, but in most cases, that’s the end of it. However, in some cases, they cause real harm.

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It won’t have slipped your notice that many, many social media influencers sell pills and potions. When you consider that the majority of these people are not medically trained, that should ring alarm bells.

But how big is this problem? An analysis in the [British Medical Journal] tries to answer this question. And they conclude that it’s big.

The authors of the BMJ analysis note that over 70% of young US adults follow influencers, and more than 40% have purchased products based on their recommendations.

Related on the SLP

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Viewpoint: America’s food-safety system is being methodically dismantled by the Trump administration.

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Their primary drive is money. 

That means they will shill supplements, interventions, and medicines, regardless of their efficacy or relevance to you. 

This is an excerpt. Read the original post here