The Supreme Court will hear arguments Monday in a case involving the Biden administration's efforts to communicate with social media sites about posts in which officials appear to have made false or misleading claims about coronavirus vaccines and the pandemic. While the case primarily focuses on debates over free speech, experts say there is a growing potential for medical misinformation to become increasingly complex and difficult to identify. The spotlight is also on harm.
“Everything is changing so quickly that it's even harder for the average person to rule it out,” said Dr. Anish Agarwal, an emergency medicine physician in Philadelphia.
Health hack not backed by science spreads widely on social media platforms. The same kinds of conspiracy theories that fueled vaccine hesitancy during the COVID-19 pandemic are now undermining vaccine confidence over other vaccines. Diseases, including measles, are spreading as more people lose trust in public health professionals and institutions. And the rapid development of artificial intelligence is making it even more difficult for people to determine what is true and what is false online.
“I think what people are getting is not just a flow of harmful information, but a feedback loop where there is a loss of trust, there is misinformation, and that misinformation can lead to a loss of trust. We understand more,” Tara Kirk said. Mr. Sell is a senior fellow at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Security.
Here's how to recognize and respond to misleading health-related claims online.
How to recognize incorrect information
Be wary of unsubstantiated health hacks, treatments and quick fixes, Dr. Agarwal said. “Work with your doctor, your local public health agency, and long-term trusted resources to verify,” he said.
Dr Sell advised being wary of online claims that jump to conclusions without evidence or appeal to emotions. When you see medical content online, ask yourself these questions: Does anything in the message seem designed to attract you? Does the message seem designed to upset or worry you? The source is Do you want to automatically correct yourself when you make a mistake?
Sander van der Linden, a professor of social psychology at the University of Cambridge who studies misinformation, said misinformation typically involves “fake experts.” These are either people making health claims without medical qualifications, or doctors speaking on subjects in which they are not experts. “You don't want to go to an otolaryngologist to have heart surgery,” he says. He said. “Is this person an expert on vaccines, or is this a doctor who doesn't actually do research and has no expertise in vaccinations?”
He added that misleading posts may refer to experts without naming them or quote “famous scientists” without providing details.
Polarizing language is also often used with misinformation, he said. “Villains exploit intense and extreme emotional reactions such as fear and anger, and 'us versus them' mental states, to frighten people,” he said. Images and videos aimed at stirring up anxiety are likely to be used, such as images of screaming babies and giant needles.
Some of the most common health misinformation include old images made to look like recent ones, snippets of quotes taken out of context, cherry-picked statistics, and misleading graphs. Whenever possible, try to trace the original source of information and ensure that important details have not been omitted or changed, says KFF, a nonprofit organization focused on health policy. said Irving Washington, senior researcher on health misinformation and trust.
He also recommended verifying claims with multiple other reliable sources, such as health agency websites.
How to fight misinformation within your own circles
If someone you know seems to be repeating false or misleading health information, it's important to be empathetic, Dr. Sell said. Rather than silencing or shaming someone, the toolkit released by the U.S. Surgeon General recommends saying things like “I understand” and “It's so hard to know who to believe.” We recommend using phrases.
“Listen, but ask questions,” Dr. Agarwal said. He suggested asking how a person found the source of the information and whether the information matches what they heard from their doctor. You should also ensure that you refer to reliable resources.
“They may not trust the CDC, but why not go to your local public health site? Can you go to your university's website?” Dr. Sell said.
“But sometimes you can have a conversation but you can't convince someone,” she added. But if you save that relationship for the next conversation, you can keep moving forward. ”
