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Paid Advisory

The findings of this expose are not so surprising. If the consumer is gullible enough to be influenced by an influencer on seriously big-ticket items like health, then perhaps that is the real problem - they need to be taught to be more critical and skeptical. Its one thing for a consumer to follow fashion trend on clothes or the latest in home decor (neither entirely without risk but definitely not catastrophic) but quite another if they decide to listen to advisory on what they should eat - even if that comes from a so-called dietician. 

If what they hear does not square with long-standing wisdom, they would be wise to question it. There are no new or novel trends to follow to maintain good health - the commonsense advisory includes lowering stress, being physically active, getting enough rest and eating sensibly. Those things have been true forever and will not change until the human body evolves to become something entirely different from what it has been for our recorded history. 

Shana Minei Spence, a dietitian with more than 265,000 followers on Instagram, eats pizza, French fries and ice cream in her social media videos to illustrate that no foods should be stigmatized. Spence, who works for the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, describes herself as “pro-processed foods.” 

Anyone who takes such advisory seriously has bigger problems. Maybe they want an excuse to do what they know to be irresponsible and just have "professional" endorsement to support it. Maybe that is the niche these influencers and their backers have tapped into - people who want some form of validation do continue doing things that they know to be harmful for them.

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