It feels like every day now when there’s a new health trend being pushed by influencers that people blindly follow and with this blind trust, deception is easy to achieve. These online influencers may push a certain lifestyle, but do they truly believe in what they say or are there other motivators?
Influencers are, inherently, often in it for business, monetary gain and fame which can often pollute fact with fiction and this is just as true for health and lifestyle influencers. Sometimes an influencer may push a product that may seem beneficial and healthy when they’re really being paid money by some company to do so. Sometimes these influencers may have actual medical experience, but there’s a notable number of influencers who base their knowledge on their own experiences and bias, so it may be often difficult to differentiate whose opinion to trust.
According to Forbes, “While doctors are bound to comply with regulations like the Physician Self-Referral Law (also known as the Stark law) and Anti-Kickback Statute, which limit payments for promoting products and set strict guidelines to ensure marketing claims and endorsements are unbiased, influencers outside of this regulated group can directly and greatly profit from advertising revenues. This can lead to some healthcare influencers promoting alternative, and sometimes controversial, health information and solutions, such as under researched supplements, for monetary gain.”
It’s often best to make sure the people online whom you take advice from are credible sources and to take what they say with a grain of salt. Be sure to also double-check what they say to make sure it’s accurate and to get your information from various sources rather than just one.
