Save Yourself

From Your Choices

A parrot can repeat what you say but might not have the skills to make much sense of the words it imitates. 

Think of the modern-day "influencers" as parrots. It will allow me to make my case reasonably straightforward when we try to see through this lens.

Being literate and being competent are two very different things. 

If someone can read a statement in English (for example - a scientific report), it doesn't mean they know what they are talking about.

That's what we are almost always surrounded by. 

Loads of information are twisted and manipulated to cater to some actionable stimulus on your end. 

Add a combination of negative biases, and you have the perfect pre-requisite to be manipulated by XYZ brand or a person.  

That's why fear-mongering sells. That's why you see a lot of information starting with statements such as "Don't repeat these 4 mistakes", "Don't add this food to your diet," and so on. 

By no means am I trying to generalise all the influencers under this harsh judgement/insight of mine. There are so many brilliant people out there who do their due diligence and put out the "right" information in an entertaining fashion, and they deserve all the love and support there is. 

On the other hand, there is a certain set of individuals or brands whose sole purpose is to play with your emotions and get you to buy something from them or amass views at the expense of your vulnerability. 

You cannot do much about it, but keep your eyes and ears open when something sensational comes your way. The only way out is to be an intelligent consumer. You don't have to learn about research methodologies or a study. All you need to do is be wary and sceptical of any information that seems to be making rounds on the internet, especially the ones that affect your health in any major or minor way. 

We may not be able to filter out every illogical or twisted piece of information in our lives, but we can try to filter out as many as humanly possible from us. Following the right people and learning from them can be a blessing.

To find the "right," you may have to endure many bad ones.

Call it a passage or a ritual to sanity.

Our biases serve us and fool us at the same time.

We are good to go as long as we can differentiate between the two pathways on most days. This post of mine is meant to serve as an active reminder to cut out all the noise from your surroundings and let your brain do some heavy lifting in case you are making decisions for your health, relying solely on the advice of the influencers.