“INFO” DEMIC and MISINFORMATION

Although SARS-Cov-2 has only been with us for 6 months, the information overload we experience on a daily basis has been present for many years.

Non-stop news cycles, constant streams, email lists, social media… all are sources of information which we are continuously bombarded with. It’s easy to say “ just turn it off”, and that does help to some degree, but we can’t reasonably function in modern society without interacting with devices. It’s a matter of:

1. Limit your sources of information and
2. Trust, but verify.

You can find support for whatever personal beliefs, desires or habits you have on the web. It is interesting how legitimate credentials are less important than the number of followers a person has not social media. This is dangerous.

There is a subconscious impact all this information is having on our kids and on us.

The average American child is exposed to more than 10,000 candy, soda, breakfast cereal and junk food commercials a year! Anyone who has children knows how kids react when you don’t buy the latest treat at the grocery store, which they learned about on TV. Adults are equally impacted. The US is only one of 2 countries in the world which allows pharmaceutical direct to consumer advertising and we have certainly seen an uptick in such ads since Coronavirus came into our lives. They know they have a captive audience. Food compaies, most of which are conglomerates of tobacco companies, are doing the same thing. It is nauseating to see how Mac N’ Cheese is advertising as a “breakfast food”.

The problem is that if there is no clear consensus, people will continue to do what they are doing. People love to hear good news about their bad habits. Industry knows this. Back when there were congressional hearings about the advertising practices of the tobacco industry, a memo was revealed which was sent around by the head of one of the biggest tobacco behemoths. It stated that “Our product is DOUBT”. They knew that all they have to do is shed even a lttle doubt on the health effects of tobacco and people will continue to smoke. And they did. It’s certainly better than it used to be and the US actually has one of the lowest smoking rates at 17%, but that’s still pretty sad and the vaping craze is rapidly taking over.

The issue of not wearing masks is a perfect example. Early on in this pandemic, even Dr. Fauci stated publicly that masks were probably not necessary. But we have learned a tremendous amount since then and now it is clear that wearing a mask is crucial to lower the risk of getting infected and more importantly, stem the tide of spreading it. Yet our governmental leadership continues to not fully endorse mask wearing and still even states how recommendations against masks were made in the past. That’s like still claiming that the earth is flat because at some point in time, some learned people stated that so therefore, there must be some truth in it still. It’s insanity.

The point is that information is sometimes a moving target and we need to get it from wherever we can, particularly if the source is reputable, but, as mentioned above, trust but verify. And follow common sense. Learn from others who are doing it well.

There have been some mask updates which I will post later this week but in the meantime:

WEAR A MASK! Wear it properly covering your nose.

DISTANCE if you must go out, especially around vulnerable people.

WASH YOUR HANDS and use hand sanitizer when appropriate.

WORK ON YOUR HEALTH so you can weather the Covid storm if you unfortunately and so that you can live a longer and fuller life.

Stay safe and be well. 

AC 😎✌️🌱❤🐖🏃🏻🧘🏻‍♂️🌎😷