But I Read It on the Internet, So It Must Be True

Are you feeling the information overload yet?

We are navigating input from Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. Reading and posting whenever we can.

And can we talk about the quality of the material we are wading through? You might think that most of this material is somehow related to those Nigerian royalty emails from a few years ago.

Engaging this amount of distraction on a daily basis, in addition to the rest of “Life”, and it is starting to wear on us.

With the advent of the unfiltered information from the web, we need to employ our critical thinking skills on an hourly basis in order to make some sense of all of this. In the olden days before our “as it happens” news coverage, breaking news was evaluated by folks whose job it was to sort the junk from the useful information. With that group gone, it is now up to us.

The Internet can provide a lot of significant information when you’re researching Health topics. You may have received a diagnosis and want to learn more. You may be trying to self-diagnose some symptoms either you or a loved one has been experiencing.

Question Everything

Just because a website uses the words “medicine” or “doctor” does not mean they are credible (read: safe). Coordinate your research with your healthcare provider. They are the best prepared individuals to advise and help you with managing the information.

When reading an article, look at the source of the information. Did a journalist write it or was it a physician? It’s important to know.

Where was this information posted?

Wikipedia is a popular place for unsubstantiated information. This is a great site to get a general idea about something though. Just be careful about how much weight you give to everything you read there.

Facebook is an especially scary place for all sorts of rumors, partial truths, and outright lies to be circulated. (Even if the information was sent to by your dear sweet Aunt Martha.) There is A LOT of questionable science, pseudoscience (writings that pretend to be scientific but are not) and just plain old sensationalism. Emotional responses generate internet traffic but do not serve anyone’s understanding of a Health problem.

So What to Do?

Time to grow up when it comes to what we read, hear, or see online.

We don’t get investment advice from the guy we met outside of the bank, so why should we trust advice just because we found it online. Anyone can build a website and post any information they want. Keep that in mind when you read about things on the web – this website included.

Pay attention and look for things that may be missing from a scientific study. If they don’t say, ask how many test subjects participated, their state of health, who paid for the study, etc.

It is always interesting when the drug company finances research on their own products. If they are paying for it, do you think the results would be that the drug doesn’t work?

Question everything.

So read on and enjoy becoming educated in Health information. There is lots of it on the Internet. Just keep your critical thinking skills engaged, evaluate what you find and share it with your healthcare professional. Your physician will probably be surprised by the ideas you bring to their office next visit.

 

“The problem with today’s world is that everyone believes they have the right to express their opinion AND have others listen to it.

The correct statement of individual rights is that everyone has the right to an opinion, but crucially, that opinion can be roundly ignored and even made fun of, particularly if it is demonstrably nonsense!”

― Brian Cox