Another format for misinformation is the issue that has been coined as "scienceploitation." As Murdoch, Zarzeczny, and Caulfield (2018) explain, "'Scienceploitation' occurs when popular scientific ideas, such as stem cells, are used to take advantage of the social capital associated with them and induce consumer interest in products or services" (p. 2). In simpler terms, scienceploitation involves the use of buzzwords and jargon from current health tends to generate interest in unproven products. These buzzwords mislead consumers and promote the false belief that there is scientific evidence supporting the product. Like other forms of misinformation, scienceploitation is not a new phenomenon, but it is becoming much more common today with the rise of social media and influencers.
Source: Exploiting science? A systematic analysis of complementary and alternative medicine clinic websites’ marketing of stem cell therapies.
Scienceploitation belongs within the larger issue of cloaked science. Whereas scienceploitation is limited to the marketing of consumer products for financial gain, cloaked science involves the use of scientific jargon to "hide a political, ideological, or financial agenda within the appearance of legitimate scientific research" (Media Manipulation Casebook).
Source: Technology and Social Change Project. (n.d.). Cloaked science. Media Manipulation Casebook. https://mediamanipulation.org/definitions/cloaked-science
(Image retrieved from Canva Image Generator)
For more information on scienceploitation as a marketing tactic, see "How Fake Science Sells Wellness" written by Rina Raphael for The New York Times. Click here to register for a free account with The New York Times using your CMU email address.
The Wellness Trap (Libby Audiobook) by
"It’s not a diet, it’s a lifestyle." You’ve probably heard this phrase from any number of people in the wellness space. But as Christy Harrison reveals in her latest book, wellness culture promotes a standard of health that is often both unattainable and deeply harmful... From the lack of pre-market safety testing on herbal and dietary supplements, to the unfounded claims made by many wellness influencers and functional-medicine providers, to the social-media algorithms driving users down rabbit holes of wellness mis- and disinformation, it can often feel like no one is looking out for us in the face of the $4.4 trillion global wellness industry.
To learn more about how to recognize and respond to misleading health information, read Dani Blum's "Health Misinformation is Evolving. Here's How to Spot It" in The New York Times.
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