Seeing Is Believing: Dangerous Digital Health Trends

From deworming to ingesting essential oils, dangerous health trends continue to circulate on social media. Why is health and wellness misinformation so persuasive? What can we do to educate and reframe wellness discourse on social media?

This presentation will examine deworming, a dangerous and viral TikTok trend, and the persuasive rhetoric that convinces viewers to risk their life for the sake of “wellness.” Through an examination of ethos, the presenter will demonstrate users’ resistance to situated ethos and acceptance of invented ethos, which contributes to the success of such misinformation. The presenter will conclude by offering invitational rhetoric as a strategy to engage with users online to validate experience while also redirecting and educating users on dangerous health misinformation.

TikTok is a social media platform with over 1 billion users—the majority being young adults and children. Health discourse on these popular social media platforms must be studied as misinformation can be deadly. It is crucial that we study health discourse on popular online platforms and take steps to mitigate the risks associated with health misinformation.