Under the ınfluence

HERE’S HOW TO MAKE AN INFORMED DECISION ABOUT WHOSE LEAD — AND FEED — TO FOLLOW.

- KAREN ASP

Google “fitness influencer” and you’ll instantly bring up more than 76 million results. Mind-boggling. There are literally hundreds of thousands of supposed fitness experts vying for attention online and on social media, and pretty much all it takes to become an influencer is to declare yourself one. Which is, in fact, how many people who got in on the ground floor of platforms such as Instagram became “experts” — they lost a little weight, posted their transformation for the world to see and boom — they were instantly an “expert” on weight loss. Yet if you do a little digging, you’ll find that many of these influencers have no certifications, education or background in any associated health, weight loss or fitness field.

The obvious ramification of the anyone-as expert phenomenon is the rampant spread of potentially dangerous misinformation. “Social media influencers are able to connect with their followers and shape their attitudes and behaviors,” says Christina Sabbagh, M.Sc., from the organization Obesity Action in Scotland. “In weight management, this is a problem because there are no requirements for influencers to be qualified in any way, and these individuals could be spreading opinion-based — not evidence-based — advice.”

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