So you stumble across a Facebook post that claims to have a juice cleanse-based false cure for diabetes. The “Can you believe this b*&&#$%?” post you’ll share with your pals is already formed when you mouse over, click the, and then direct the arrow towards the “share button.”
Stop. Don’t. If you do, you’ll merely contribute to the proliferation of that scam remedy.
Here are some reasons not to:
1. Concepts contagious like viruses. Reduce the spread of the infection.
The CDC isolates a virus in particular settings where scientists carefully work with samples to counteract its lethal characteristics. Crackpot theories can also be too dangerous to handle in public; it is advisable to disseminate them under controlled circumstances, such as after they have been refuted by a reliable fact-checking website.
2. No longer does anyone read intently.
Consider how you consume information on Facebook: you probably view an article and then scroll up to see what a friend has to say about it. Alternatively, you might just go straight to the article without even remembering who posted it or what they said. Before they realise it, someone might click on a phoney diabetes treatment article, giving the clickbait website the reward and the opportunity to spread the infection to others.
3. Your great aunt is unaware that you are making a joke.
Even if you may use social media wisely, not all of your friends share your expertise. Just as we might avoid a baby if we have a cold, we must defend the weakest members of our online communities.
4. Facebook’s algorithm is incapable of recognising your rage-sharing.
Facebook encourages conversation. A share could broaden the audience that Facebook will let see a post, move it up the newsfeed, or even give a publication’s subsequent post a bigger audience. By sharing that post, you are informing Facebook’s algorithm that you like it and want to see more of it.
5. You run the risk of giving someone in need false hope.
Consider the early years after you were diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. Do you recall staying up all night searching the internet for information? Do you recall visiting some dubious websites that made outrageous claims? Don’t let someone else who is experiencing emotional vulnerability experience this.
As an alternative to sharing the post, consider the following:
- Social media should be used to report it as fraudulent.
- Take a look at the page’s advertisements if you have already clicked through. Send them a letter expressing your disapproval of their promotion of pseudoscience.
- Send out a text-only post without any links to inform them about the bogus cure.
- Discuss the negative effects of the fake diabetes treatment with the person directly.
- Instead, rage-share trustworthy diabetes information.
False information about diabetes only spreads through clicks and is destroyed when it is not shared. Readers have the power to determine which ideas will live and die each day, so make informed decisions.