Health misinformation is evolving. Here’s how to spot it.
The Supreme Court will hear arguments on Monday a case involving the Biden administration efforts to communicate with social media sites about posts that officials believed made false or misleading claims about Covid-19 vaccines and the pandemic. While the case focuses primarily on a debate about freedom of expression, it also highlights the potential harm of medical misinformation – which experts say has become increasingly complex and difficult to identify.
“It’s all changing very quickly, and it’s even harder for the average person to filter out,” says Dr. Anish Agarwal, an emergency physician in Philadelphia.
Health hacks that are not backed by science have proliferated on social media platforms. The same kinds of conspiracy theories that fueled vaccine hesitancy during the Covid-19 pandemic are now undermining vaccine confidence against other vaccines. diseases, including measles, as more and more people have lost confidence in public health experts and institutions. And rapid developments in artificial intelligence have made it even more difficult for people to tell what is true and what is false online.
“We increasingly understand that it’s not just a toxic flow of information that people are getting, but a feedback loop where we lose trust and have misinformation, and the misinformation can lead to loss of trust,” says Tara Kirk. Sell, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.
Here’s how to recognize and respond to misleading health claims online.
How to recognize misinformation
Beware of unsubstantiated health hacks, treatments and quick fixes, said Dr. Agarwal. “Validate it with your doctor, with local public health agencies, with reliable, longer-term resources,” he said.
Keep an eye out for cases where online claims without evidence jump to conclusions, or appeal to your emotions, Dr. advised. Sell. When you see medical content online, ask yourself: Does any aspect of the message seem designed to engage you? Does the message seem intended to upset or worry you? Does the source correct itself if it makes a mistake?
Misinformation usually involves ‘fake experts’, according to Sander van der Linden, professor of social psychology in society at Cambridge, who researches misinformation. These are either people making health claims who have no medical qualifications, or doctors making statements on subjects in which they are not experts. “You wouldn’t want to go to an ear and nose doctor to do heart surgery,” he says. said. “Is this a vaccine expert, or is this a doctor who actually does no research and has no expertise in the field of vaccinations?”
Sometimes misleading messages mention an expert without naming them, or quote “renowned scientists” without providing details, he added.
Disinformation also often uses polarizing language, he said. “Bad actors use intense and extreme emotional responses, such as fear and outrage, an ‘us versus them’ mentality and scaring people,” he said. Images and videos intended to raise concern are likely to be used, such as images of crying babies and huge needles.
Some of the most common forms of health misinformation include old images presented as more recent, excerpts of quotes taken out of context, cherry-picked statistics, and misleading graphs. Whenever possible, try to trace the original source of information and check to see if important details have been left out or changed, says Irving Washington, a senior fellow on health misinformation and trust at KFF, a nonprofit organization focused on health policy.
He also recommended validating a claim with multiple other sources of reliable information, such as health agency websites.
How you can combat disinformation in your own circle
If someone you know seems to be repeating false or misleading health information, it’s important to be empathetic, said Dr. Sell. a toolbox released by the U.S. Surgeon General recommends using phrases like, “I understand,” and “it’s so hard to know who to trust,” rather than silencing or shaming someone.
“Listen to them, but ask questions,” Dr. Agarwal said. He suggested asking how someone found the source and whether the information matches what that person heard from doctors. You should also refer them to trusted sources.
“Maybe they don’t trust the CDC, but can you go to a local public health site? Can you go to a university website?’ said Doctor Sell.
“But sometimes,” she added, “you can have a conversation and not convince that person. But you save that relationship for the next time you have that conversation, and you can just move on.”