- The advent of social media platforms, which are burgeoning by the day, can be aptly summed up as a double-edged sword being used differently. Inarguably, social media platforms have ensured that the ocean of information reaches the user in real time without waiting for the erstwhile conventional methodologies in vogue. Options available are innumerable, you see. The speed with which the information is disseminated in the modern-day technology-driven world is astounding, to say the least. The pandemic years helped speed up the unleashing of social media platforms, enabling the patrons to embrace the same with gay abandon. The penetration of the internet across the universe is unimaginable, and India as a country is in the forefront too.
PC: NewsBytes
- However, what citizens of the nation should be aware of is to be mindful of the fact that whatever information is available on social media platforms is not genuine by any stretch of the imagination. The fake news prevalent so abundantly on these platforms can be a real threat if we let our guard down. Of course, influencers on diverse topics are making hay while the sun shines. It is here we must exercise abundant caution, for the influencers may sound like false alarmists and espouse dangerously false claims. Look at a food influencer’s take on eggs, which hit headlines recently. As a countermove, the food regulator must step in intently. Thankfully, the food regulator FSSAI has called out the misinformation that eggs can be a cancer risk.
PC: MSN
- Now, it has clarified that detecting trace residues isn’t the same as proving health risk: there’s no established causal link between trace-level dietary exposure to antibiotics in question (nitrofurans) and cancer, and no health authority anywhere has linked normal egg consumption to increased cancer risk. When produced under food safety norms, eggs remain nutritious and safe to eat. It started with a so-called influencer on a social media platform naming a company’s eggs as cancer-causing. It is just one more instance of the gray area where influencers operate, without rules, regulations, restraints, or a scientific basis. The impact of such influencers peddling food, finance, and wellness/health gyaan is often ruinous. Accountability is sorely lacking.
PC: Deccan Herald
- Recall how the Delhi HC ordered a YouTuber to remove a food video, noting that social media influencers cannot irresponsibly comment on subjects outside their expertise. And bad money advice has hurt millions. What is more alarming is how this dangerous fake news took a life of its own. The shady marketplace that is social media, unsurprisingly, co-opted the claims to serve specific agendas. Mind you, our key challenge is over-reliance on fried snacks and processed foods. Plus, the burden and fear of cancer is ever-growing. Taken together, we are an audience ripe for food influencers who are simply growing their online business, playing on our half-knowledge. The onus is on FSSAI to launch a wide counter-campaign to kill the misinformation and regulate.
