Medical drivel has ballooned with the rise of streaming, e-commerce and social media platforms. Platforms, lawmakers and regulators aren't keeping up.
Another week, another platform in trouble for allowing its talent to give voice to misinformation. This time, Joe Rogan suggested that the mRNA Covid-19 vaccines are a type of "gene therapy" and that young people are at a greater risk from the shots than the disease, among other false and dubious health claims featured on his popular, Spotify-hosted podcast. The calls to remove his podcast have only intensified after revelations that he's also repeatedly used a racist slur on the show, leading Spotify's chief to apologize to the company's employees.
The best outcome of the scandal wouldn't be that Mr. Rogan was kicked off Spotify, at least not for the health bunk. It would be seeing his misleading Covid content in context: It's just a tiny drop in the ocean of online health nonsense.
Medical drivel has ballooned with the rise of streaming, e-commerce and social media platforms. Unlike the anti-vaccine pamphlets that skeptics handed out centuries ago, people spreading erroneous health advice today can near-instantly reach audiences of millions.
The problem is so much bigger than Joe Rogan or Spotify. And platforms, lawmakers and regulators aren't keeping up. nyt
Another week, another platform in trouble for allowing its talent to give voice to misinformation. This time, Joe Rogan suggested that the mRNA Covid-19 vaccines are a type of "gene therapy" and that young people are at a greater risk from the shots than the disease, among other false and dubious health claims featured on his popular, Spotify-hosted podcast. The calls to remove his podcast have only intensified after revelations that he's also repeatedly used a racist slur on the show, leading Spotify's chief to apologize to the company's employees.
The best outcome of the scandal wouldn't be that Mr. Rogan was kicked off Spotify, at least not for the health bunk. It would be seeing his misleading Covid content in context: It's just a tiny drop in the ocean of online health nonsense.
Medical drivel has ballooned with the rise of streaming, e-commerce and social media platforms. Unlike the anti-vaccine pamphlets that skeptics handed out centuries ago, people spreading erroneous health advice today can near-instantly reach audiences of millions.
The problem is so much bigger than Joe Rogan or Spotify. And platforms, lawmakers and regulators aren't keeping up. nyt
After the author brings up points of why entertainment outlets like Netflix and Hulu should flag misinforming documentaries, he ends with "Drugmakers are supposed to prevent harm by proving their products are safe and effective. They have to provide regulators with evidence for claims they want to make about products before they reach the market". This relates to the standard set for the healthcare field versus others (such as the film industry) as mentioned in the readings earlier this semester.
ReplyDeleteWhile I do agree Rogan is only a slice of the misinformation problem, he is by no means a small drop in the bucket. He actively spouts misinformation, some of which, such as claiming younger individuals should not be vaccinated, may be detrimental to the plight of overcoming this pandemic. He's also received incredibly funding from Spotify (100 million up front) meaning they have chosen, by not nixing the misinformation, to financially support it. I'd argue the best outcome would be proof of repercussions for the damaging misinformation, not merely a revelation of the broad scope of it.
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