The Conversation: "The scandal that should force us to reconsider wellness advice from influencers" May 2019

[Sly Saint]

Former social media influencer and “wellness guru” Belle Gibson first caught public attention after claiming she cured herself of terminal cancer by rejecting conventional medicine in favour of a healthy diet and lifestyle. Her story was documented on a blog and social media, which became the basis for a successful book and app, featuring lifestyle advice and healthy recipes.

In 2015, however, Gibson was exposed as a fraud. It was revealed that she never had cancer and failed to donate the proceeds from her app to charity, as promised. Now, she has been summoned to appear in Federal Court following her failure to pay a AUD410,000 penalty for misleading health claims.

Beyond the psychological factors motivating Gibson’s deceit, the scandal raises important questions about the cultural and technological conditions that enable lifestyle gurus to flourish.

https://theconversation.com/the-sca...sider-wellness-advice-from-influencers-117041

 

[duncan]

Those among us that have been this sick for an extended period likely have long since reconsidered wellness advice from most everybody.

I cannot think of a single expert, especially world-renowned medical researchers/clinicians, as well as medical institutions like the CDC and NHS, whose advice I would not do due diligence on before tentatively following it, if at all.

 

[Hoopoe]

What an amateur. She should have promised big healthcare savings, gotten funding for a large unblinded subjective RCT, switch outcomes and then publish in The Lancet.

 

[Snowdrop]

Women's Weekly opined that maybe she has an illness that causes her to fake illness.

Did they really have to go there?

Why can't she just be a greedy and/or attention seeking self-serving scam artist who doesn't care about harming other people?

I find it immensely unhelpful to psychologise everything.

 

[hixxy]

Not just wellness advice but any kind of advice at all except maybe how to scam gullible people.

 

[chrisb]

Women's Weekly opined that maybe she has an illness that causes her to fake illness.

How would one test whether it was a fake illness which caused her to fake illness?

 

[Sean]

Using the Fake Fake Illness Questionnaire™, of course.

Silly boy.

 

[Trish]

Using the Fake Fake Illness Questionnaire™, of course.

And then send to the fake fake fake illness therapist for some fake fake fake fake treatment. One for Trudie, I think.

 

[large donner]

And then send to the fake fake fake illness therapist for some fake fake fake fake treatment. One for Trudie, I think.

Thats a quadruple negative, does that make it real real or fake fake?

 

[Sean]

A genuine fake?

 

[Mithriel]

Brainwashing using real poo not shampoo.

 

[Trish]

Brainwashing using real poo not shampoo.

Clever

 

[NelliePledge]

Brainwashing using real poo not shampoo.

Top sarcasm

 

[NelliePledge]

And then send to the fake fake fake illness therapist for some fake fake fake fake treatment. One for Trudie, I think.

Fake tripe then