The alarming amount of misinformation about Tik Tok it’s nothing new
TikTok has no guidelines for who you can identify as being on the app or any requirement to include information to support statements, so many uneducated and unqualified people present misinformation as fact to millions of people on the platform. We know this. But many users take TikTokers at face value and use amateur videos to shape their education, rather than research the authenticity of the TikTokers first.
Misinformation is particularly prevalent in the health and wellness space on TikTok, especially when it comes to food and nutrition A study from the University of Mississippi found that college students, when presented with a TikTok series and instagram nutrition posts, they were mostly unable to identify which posts were false. Female students, in particular, misidentified more false posts as factual.
A national survey found that most adults did not have a media literacy education while you were growing up Media literacy, which is the process of critically analyzing information found on the internet, is crucial in helping TikTok users, particularly the most vulnerable ones, stay vigilant and aware of misinformation.
But to understand how to filter out health and nutrition misinformation, we first need to understand why this is such a big problem in the wellness space.
Why are there so many self-identified “wellness gurus” on TikTok?
According to Dr. Idrees Mughal – more commonly known by your social handle Dr. Idz — the problem of unqualified “experts” spreading misinformation is actually unique to the wellness space.
Dr. Idz, who has a master’s degree in nutrition research in addition to his medical license, began responding to and debunking some of these wellness videos when he joined TikTok in early 2021. He currently has over 1.5 million followers on the platform.
“This is really only applicable to the wellness industry, and that’s because you won’t find it in any other subject, whether it’s science or geography or whatever, you won’t find it,” he said of the misinformation. “You’re not going to find someone, who isn’t an engineer, making a video about, oh, this is the best way to build a skyscraper.”
The reason, Dr. Idz argued, is simply that everyone eats, and most people have anecdotal evidence of what works for them and what doesn’t. The problem is that they present it as a universal fact.
“They think that just because they participate in [eating, stress and sleeping]So they have authority in that field, which is absolutely false,” he continued. “Are you a doctor? Are you a gastroenterologist? Are you a dietitian? No, you’re none of those things.
There are also plenty of quick and cheap online courses that offer “unregulated and non-professional qualifications” in the food and wellness spaces.
“You won’t find a two-week online engineering course for building your own home,” Dr. Idz noted, “but you will find that for nutrition, wellness and gut health.”
The wellness market is projected to be worth $7 trillion by 2025 — being the two fastest growing subsections personal care and beauty (worth $955 billion in 2020) and nutrition and weight loss (worth $946 billion in 2020). Wellness misinformation can be hard to spot, especially when many TikTok users are actively seeking more information. Although Skepticism Around Kardashian-Approved Detox Teas Y other celebrity endorsements has increased, as more regular TikTok users, especially with more followers, start promoting their wellness tips as fact, it becomes more difficult for the average user to differentiate who is qualified.
Another problem is that people are quick to dismiss TikTok as “just a dance app” to take seriously the lack of media literacy. Abbie Richards, who studies misinformation on TikTok, corrected the notion and told the Washington Post“We are talking about a platform that is shaping how an entire generation is learning to perceive the world.”
How can you, an average user, figure out what the wellness misinformation on TikTok is?
For Dr. Idz, it encourages followers to develop what he calls “shit radar.” Developing it doesn’t require a degree, a two-week crash course, or even additional research; According to Dr. Idz, there are similarities between the accounts spreading misinformation that the average TikTok user may be aware of before taking the content at face value.
“Number one is, is the person accredited and accredited to speak about this space?” she asked. I don’t mean online [credits]; I mean, college graduates in the specific space.”
If the person isn’t credentialed, that’s not an automatic reason to assume they don’t know what they’re talking about. But it is a factor to take into account when listening to her advice.
“Number two, are you openly engaging in scientific discourse in your comments?” Dr. Idz continued. “I’m not saying that everyone needs to refer to the documents every time they speak. What I’m saying is if someone asks for evidence or a subpoena, if they get defensive and don’t provide it, then that will set off a red flag for me.”
As sources, Dr. Idz also looks to medical journals, not, say, a health magazine article.
“Number three, do you speak in absolutes?” she asked. “If they speak in absolute terms, they are more likely to talk nonsense.”
According to Dr. Idz, videos framed as “This is the best thing you can do for your health” or “This is the most inflammatory food in the world today” leave out a lot of information and nuance that could prove these definitive claims false. .
“Although I know that having a certain diet, for example, would benefit people with inflammation, I would never say that this is the best diet to reduce inflammation,” he explained.
What’s the worst that can happen if you believe the health and fitness misinformation on TikTok?
“Trends” like intermittent fasting, #whatIeatinaday videos, and carnivore diets go against TikTok’s community guidelines that prohibit “content that promotes eating habits that are likely to cause adverse health outcomes.” Regardless, they still exist and rack up millions of views.
The carnivore diet, in particular, is apparently the bane of Dr. Idz’s existence.
“I would say currently it may not be the biggest [trend]but it has definitely been one of the most influential in its negative implications,” he said.
The diet is restrictive and plant-free and, as the name suggests, encourages participants to eat exclusively animal products.
“It’s probably the most damaging trend in the wellness space that we have right now,” Dr. Idz noted. “There’s no human evidence to really back up what they’re saying, because time and time again, [vegetables] really improve our health.”
Based on what Dr. Idz has seen on TikTok, a common misconception about the carnivore diet is that influential people they are calling a nutrient found in plants and vegetables “toxic”. Dr. Idz says that a small percentage of people may find short-term relief from stomach problems by temporarily eliminating plants, vegetables, and seeds from their diets, but that doesn’t mean that’s the answer or solution for them. everybody. In fact, eliminating plants, vegetables, and seeds reduces the stomach’s ability to grow bacteria for a healthy microbiome.
“Yes, if you want to have a diet that is strictly devoid of vegetables, then yes, your intestinal symptoms might improve,” he explained. “But in reality, by the time you eat something wrong, you will be much worse off than if you developed the time to grow the bacteria. [from vegetables] that we all need.”
Ultimately, for proper and accurate health and wellness advice, it is best to consult a professional physician.
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