Make it a Habit: Separate health help from social media health hype

Those of you who know me personally, or through this column, know that I have been coaching clients around health behavior change for nearly 20 years. It has been my privilege to be invited into people’s lives in this way.

A popular coaching topic is the negative impact of social media. With the ubiquity of social media, how can you find gems online while avoiding the undue influence of influencers, especially when you are trying to create health-supportive change in your own life?

Whom do you trust?

The last time you went on social media, how quickly were you drawn to a post? Within seconds, right? What made you stop scrolling and start reading?

Content that is easy to scan, visually engaging and includes compelling language will get — and hold — your attention. The social media format supports the distillation of complex topics into posts and 90-second highlight reels, where understanding just feels easy. Acting on that content is even easier.

Successful influencers are highly relatable. Their open sharing of personal stories and experiences resonates with us. We feel like we know them. We might even want to be like them. When we believe others are benefiting from an influencer’s advice — especially for a problem identical to the one we have — we are more likely to trust and follow that advice.

Trust in institutions, including the health care system, has eroded over time. We may feel that established institutions cannot — or will not — solve our problems. Many of my clients see influencers as embodying things they value and want to see in themselves, such as autonomy, control, self-efficacy or the ability to find innovative solutions to complex problems.

Influencers seem readily available, offering real-time engagement and feedback. They often respond personally to our comments — or appear to — which supports that sense of community and, along with it, our loyalty, engagement and trust.

Make social media work for you

So how can you enjoy the benefits of social media while avoiding its pitfalls? These are the tips I share with my clients as they work to separate the help from the hype:

• Evaluate the source: Is the post made by a recognized institution or organization? It does not have to be. However, if you see a coach like me online endorsing — or criticizing — forms of medical treatment, for example, you should at least be skeptical.
• Analyze the content: If a post makes impressive health claims, does it include references? If that is missing, what you are reading is simply one person’s story or opinion.
• Consider the context and intention: Is the post educational, or is it trying to sell a product or service? If the latter, consider the post’s intention.
• Watch for bias: Does the post discuss potential risks or side effects of the recommended product or service? Does what you are reading seem too good to be true?

Given the work I do, I follow several online influencers. I want to understand the social media conversation. What I see online makes the process of creating lasting health behavior change look quite simple. And it does not have to be complex. In upcoming columns, we will look at the health behavior change process to better understand how you can make the science of change work for you.