The dangers of misinformation on self care on social media

Wellness influencers often use myths to gain likes and followers but they can have a detrimental effect on viewers’ mental health and wellbeing. CREDIT: PIXABAY

Taking a look at the many myths surrounding self care and social media

SOPHIE SCHAFER

We are living in a new age of social media and connectedness online. With the increase of popularity, we have seen all sorts of different trends gain notoriety in online spaces.

Some of these trends have lasted only a short while; who remembers the ice bucket challenge? Or what about last week's TikTok dance challenge song? There are other themes, however, that seem a great deal

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Social media has created this unusual opportunity for anyone and everyone to access a platform. This can be great; social media can provide an opportunity for voices to be heard, perhaps ones that would have never else had the chance. In other ways, this poses a concern because there is no filtration system to prove that truthful content is being produced. Misinformation can be spread like wildfire, and for people desperate to meet impossible beauty and fitness standards, it is tempting to blindly accept information from wellness “authorities.”

Popular YouTube dietitian Abbey Sharpe dissects wellness influencers’ diet tips and trends, sharing insights and critically examining truths and misinformation. Sharpe’s video “Dietitian Fact Checks TikTok Diets” sheds light on some harmful diet tips.

In her video, there is a clip of a man promoting chlorophyll water as a weight loss, skin-clearing, and cancer-curing product. Sharpe explains that there is no actual research to prove that drinking chlorophyll water has any health benefits. In fact, Sharpe says that it could be potentially harmful. This is incredibly alarming, considering that several different wellness influencers promote and encourage viewers to add Chlorophyll water to their diets.

The video goes on to debunk many more myths, and Sharpe has several videos concerning this matter. This is evidence that there is a lot of misinformation that gets spread and promoted.

All this to say, you do not need to completely remove wellness influencers from your feed. Just remember to critically examine the content you are consuming. It is so easy to get sucked into a world of extreme dieting and fitness, so make sure you are doing it safely! Remember that self care does not just look like a 3 hour morning routine. There are less intense and more realistic habits that might be the better choice, both physically and mentally.

To see for yourself, you can visit Sharpe’s YouTube channel and watch her videos, or visit abbeyskitchen.com.