When not sharing is caring
By Angela Reggiannini
Though email is a dying form of regular communication, chain emails still find their way into other forms of interaction on the Internet. It is probably hard for one to scroll through his or her Facebook feed without seeing one's health-conscious and well-meaning friends sharing stories with alarming taglines and eye-catching photos.
Some of the stories are shared from Facebook pages with names containing words like “health” and “wellness.” Naturally, people trust these sources because they claim to promote healthful living, and they make seemingly pertinent health information easily accessible to a world
always connected by social media. The swiftness and ease with which information can be shared shows that fact-checking is something a busy
world neglects.
A piece on MSN's "Healthy Living" section cited 11 stories and claimed they were hoaxes and provided an expert evaluation of them. Some of them are as harmless as the claim that genetically modified cucumbers cause baldness. Of course, the expert weighed in that baldness is generally a result of heredity. The story was found to be from a satirical website and had no intention of making dangerously false health claims. Not all stories are as easy to trace and attaching bogus qualifications and fake, or real, doctor names is enough for many people to be comfortable sharing stories that can be either harmless or potentially dangerous.
"Snopes," a popular fact-checking website, cites an email that had been circulating about the health benefits of drinking water at certain times. The idea that something as simple as drinking water at the right times can help prevent heart attacks sounds too good to be true and if one were to be told by word of mouth once or twice, he or she might not believe it. With as many "shares" and "likes" that this particular piece of advice has received, however, it becomes information that one sees everywhere. Even conscientious people can fall prey to believing this information, simply because of how many times they see it.
Linda A. Henkel and Mark E. Mattson of Fairfield University, Conn., and Fordham University, N.Y., respectively, cite a study in their article, "Reading is Believing: The Truth Effect and Source Credibility." The study showed that people are more likely to believe information from unknown sources, especially if they had seen it many times. The water story was shared with a man who had recently had a heart attack. The Huffington Post, at the time of writing its article about this man, stated that the story had been shared 33,000 times. Since then, this story undoubtedly has reached many more people. These people could fall victim to the truth effect if stories like this, or worse, are not fact-checked or immediately dismissed.
Another water claim states that water actually could treat certain diseases. It states the amount of days of the water treatment it takes to cure high blood pressure, TB, diabetes, and cancer. Bearing in mind the truth effect, the reality of people believing this over time is possible. No matter how ridiculous the claim may sound, people have believed similar preposterous ideas.
Most people should remember the claims that masturbation causes blindness, that one should "starve a fever and feed a cold," and the popularly believed idea that vitamin C is a miracle cure for the common cold. The popularity of supplements, such as Airborne and Emergen-C, lend credence to the vitamin C claim.
It is not fair to call those who share these stories gullible because the human brain seems to be, in part, psychologically predisposed to believe things; whether or not they are true. Well-meaning individuals share these ideas with their friends and families, unknowingly propagating information that not only could be harmful to the people with whom they share it, but to the people with whom everyone else who sees it shares it. Yet, it usually takes just a quick Google search to shed doubt on a claim.
Everyone should pay attention to what he or she is sharing on the Internet. If one truly cares about his or her loved ones, the person will avoid spreading "viral" health claims. The claims may start with talk of saving lives with their false or misleading information, but the best way to save lives is to consult medical professionals or, at the very least, to help by not sharing stories from questionable sources.
Read more about Angela Reggiannini on her personal blog.
Though email is a dying form of regular communication, chain emails still find their way into other forms of interaction on the Internet. It is probably hard for one to scroll through his or her Facebook feed without seeing one's health-conscious and well-meaning friends sharing stories with alarming taglines and eye-catching photos.
Some of the stories are shared from Facebook pages with names containing words like “health” and “wellness.” Naturally, people trust these sources because they claim to promote healthful living, and they make seemingly pertinent health information easily accessible to a world
always connected by social media. The swiftness and ease with which information can be shared shows that fact-checking is something a busy
world neglects.
A piece on MSN's "Healthy Living" section cited 11 stories and claimed they were hoaxes and provided an expert evaluation of them. Some of them are as harmless as the claim that genetically modified cucumbers cause baldness. Of course, the expert weighed in that baldness is generally a result of heredity. The story was found to be from a satirical website and had no intention of making dangerously false health claims. Not all stories are as easy to trace and attaching bogus qualifications and fake, or real, doctor names is enough for many people to be comfortable sharing stories that can be either harmless or potentially dangerous.
"Snopes," a popular fact-checking website, cites an email that had been circulating about the health benefits of drinking water at certain times. The idea that something as simple as drinking water at the right times can help prevent heart attacks sounds too good to be true and if one were to be told by word of mouth once or twice, he or she might not believe it. With as many "shares" and "likes" that this particular piece of advice has received, however, it becomes information that one sees everywhere. Even conscientious people can fall prey to believing this information, simply because of how many times they see it.
Linda A. Henkel and Mark E. Mattson of Fairfield University, Conn., and Fordham University, N.Y., respectively, cite a study in their article, "Reading is Believing: The Truth Effect and Source Credibility." The study showed that people are more likely to believe information from unknown sources, especially if they had seen it many times. The water story was shared with a man who had recently had a heart attack. The Huffington Post, at the time of writing its article about this man, stated that the story had been shared 33,000 times. Since then, this story undoubtedly has reached many more people. These people could fall victim to the truth effect if stories like this, or worse, are not fact-checked or immediately dismissed.
Another water claim states that water actually could treat certain diseases. It states the amount of days of the water treatment it takes to cure high blood pressure, TB, diabetes, and cancer. Bearing in mind the truth effect, the reality of people believing this over time is possible. No matter how ridiculous the claim may sound, people have believed similar preposterous ideas.
Most people should remember the claims that masturbation causes blindness, that one should "starve a fever and feed a cold," and the popularly believed idea that vitamin C is a miracle cure for the common cold. The popularity of supplements, such as Airborne and Emergen-C, lend credence to the vitamin C claim.
It is not fair to call those who share these stories gullible because the human brain seems to be, in part, psychologically predisposed to believe things; whether or not they are true. Well-meaning individuals share these ideas with their friends and families, unknowingly propagating information that not only could be harmful to the people with whom they share it, but to the people with whom everyone else who sees it shares it. Yet, it usually takes just a quick Google search to shed doubt on a claim.
Everyone should pay attention to what he or she is sharing on the Internet. If one truly cares about his or her loved ones, the person will avoid spreading "viral" health claims. The claims may start with talk of saving lives with their false or misleading information, but the best way to save lives is to consult medical professionals or, at the very least, to help by not sharing stories from questionable sources.
Read more about Angela Reggiannini on her personal blog.