Concerned About Medical Misinformation Online? Here are Red Flags to Watch out for

Along with the services that the digital marketplace has to offer, the world has also become a smaller place thanks to connectivity and the flow of information. However, the lack of regulation has also led to a lot of misinformation, which has proven to be dangerous in matters related to health. As per a new survey by KFF, 45% of adults said that they have either heard to believed at least one of the false claims about COVID-19 vaccines. "It just is a matter of taking time,” says Dr. Seema Yasmin, director of the Stanford Health Communication Initiative at Stanford University. Yasmin is also the author of “What The Fact?!: Finding the Truth in All the Noise." As per Dr. Seema Yasmin, there are certain red flags that one needs to recognize to become less susceptible to these frauds. 

Sounds too good to be true

It's a pretty common saying that if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Dr. Yasmin urges people to do a little more investigating if they suspect something's fishy. She asked everyone to look for words like, "100% cure, and guaranteed. "You’d be surprised at how quickly the human brain can want to fall for those false promises,” she adds. “You want to do extra digging when those kinds of big promises are attached to a product or something that somebody is selling," she says, via CNBC Make It.

Claims about an alternative cure

Dr. Yasmin urges people to look for posts across social media that promote a new and fresh treatment."There are lots of people who have business models that are built on this," Freelon says. “It targets people who are already disillusioned with the medical establishment, in some cases, for good reason. But it says, ‘Hey, here’s this alternative that you can buy from me.'"

Emotional appeal

Any post that targets your emotions is a red flag, per Dr. Yasmin. "Often, posts about health information that trigger emotional responses are designed to get us to fall for lies,” she says. This is why it's important to watch out for advertisements that trigger you emotionally. 

Some health news simply sounds outlandish and when one needs to stop and question the piece that they are reading.  Deen Freelon, a Professor at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania asks people to be wary of things that are simply against the "basic tenets of generally accepted like human biology." He urges people to recognize how many scammers weave their posts based on "essentially nothing," and even spread misinformation about how the human body works. 

Unreliable source

It's extremely important to verify the source of the information that you are reading. See if the post is linked to an organization or refers to somebody who is known in the field. It's also a great idea to turn to trusted sites that will help you cross-verify the information. You can also use reverse image search tools for the photos that have been included in the advertisement or the article.