Courtesy health influencers, in the past few months, I have learnt that I need to “activate my vagus nerve” and “lower my cortisol levels” first thing in the morning. The helpful reels carry an offer to learn the appropriate techniques—for a fee, of course.
If you dig in, it becomes clear that walkers and yoga practitioners have been doing it right all along, without a clue as to where is the vagus nerve or what is cortisol. The medicalisation of everyday routine has become a viral phenomenon, thanks to social media. While there is a lot promised, there’s little evidence of what works and what doesn’t.
There is a boom in commercialisation of health, with social media algorithms targeting users with supplements, tests and therapies that claim to reverse diabetes, arthritis, obesity and even improve mental health. Protein powders, prebiotics and probiotics have acquired the status of panacea. Content creators are often surrogate advertisers. They are not bound by the protocols of medical research or scrutiny. Their claims are often backed by anecdotal stories.
The tantalising information that is shared on new drugs could be accompanied by a do-it-yourself version with ingredients from the kitchen. What this would trigger is a subliminal awareness of a treatment, which arms patients with information to confront their doctors at the next appointment.
Elon Musk is reported to have said recently that the short-form video is one of the worst inventions mankind has ever made. This was in the context of reduced attention spans and increasing distractions. They are also potent carriers of misinformation and disinformation. But for the many who have valorised the short video form by monetising content with an eye on celebrity status, it’s a goldmine.
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