Welcome to the COVID-19 infodemic. I opened Twitter last week to a guy with a 'biology degree' hosting an 'ask me anything' session on COVID-19. I stumbled on another thread where an economist using cockamamie statistical magic had conjured up stats on projected mortality. The thread was followed by gasping responses and replies. Based on misinformation, ... Continue Reading about COVID-19 Infodemic and the Question of Expertise
Facebook and Twitter Fight Coronavirus Misinformation
With the emerging global public health crisis Facebook has initiated coordinated measures to control the spread of coronavirus misinformation. Below are select clips from Facebook’s recent press release, Keeping People Safe and Informed About the Coronavirus, detailing their initiative. Twitter has undertaken similar efforts to ensure that reliable health information ... Continue Reading about Facebook and Twitter Fight Coronavirus Misinformation
Medical Misinformation | Can Doctors Control Social Media?
If you have a moment check out Medical Misinformation - Vet the Message, an editorial published in the Journal of the American Heart Association. It’s written by 22 editors-in-chief of major cardiovascular journals and builds the case for medical misinformation as a modern crisis for doctors and patients. This nugget caught my eye: Purveyors of social media must ... Continue Reading about Medical Misinformation | Can Doctors Control Social Media?
Can We Learn From Goop’s Cultural Storms?
Gweneth Paltrow’s lifestyle site, Goop, has been at the center of a poostorm over its baseless medical quackery. You can catch up on my post from a few weeks ago where I describe the Goop Effect. A colleague suggested on Twitter that we should look at Goop and try to make sense of why they’re so successful. What is it that they’re offering that mainstream medicine ... Continue Reading about Can We Learn From Goop’s Cultural Storms?
Unsafe Levels of Alcohol and the Crisis of Medical Misinformation
Last week the media made headlines that alcohol is unsafe at any quantity. It was based on a Lancet study that drew that conclusion. Aaron Carroll publicsplained it in the New York Times. It’s worth a read to understand how we might begin to put headlines and research conclusions into the proper context Medical research is complicated. Few among us are in a ... Continue Reading about Unsafe Levels of Alcohol and the Crisis of Medical Misinformation
Goop Effect – How Outrage Drives Bad Health Information
Recently the New York Times unpacked Gwyneth Paltrow’s blockbuster lifestyle brand, Goop. Brilliantly written by Taffy Brodesser-Anker it shows how calculated controversy (generated in part by vagina steaming and coffee enemas) is part of the strategic plan for this 250 million dollar media company. Check out The Guardian follow-up that captures how Goop has built its ... Continue Reading about Goop Effect – How Outrage Drives Bad Health Information