In the 2020 presidential election Trump supporters were accused of spreading misinformation on social media. Or was it Russian intelligence services? I don’t even recall what that misinformation was or who it was targeted at. Now the Washington Post reports that a misinformation campaign is being waged against hormonal birth control.
Search for birth control on TikTok or Instagram and a cascade of misleading videos vilifying hormonal contraception appear: Young women blaming their weight gain on the pill. Right-wing commentators claiming that some birth control can lead to infertility. Testimonials complaining of depression and anxiety.
“People are putting themselves out there as experts on birth control and speaking to things that the science does not bear out,” said Michael Belmonte, an OB/GYN in D.C.
Is this some coordinated conspiracy by social conservatives? Probably not. It’s most likely a bunch of young women trying to build an audience of enough followers to make TikTok, Instagram and YouTube their full-time jobs. The Washington Post identified some conservative social media commentators who are spreading misinformation (or is it disinformation) about hormonal birth control, but then the post reveals the more likely motivation:
For influencers of all political stripes seeking fame and fortune on the internet, negative content draws more clicks, allowing them to reach a wider audience to sell their products and services.
On social media you get more followers if you’re contrarian and buck the conventional wisdom. How many times have I seen on YouTube, “You can’t just eat vegetables to be healthy. They must be organically grown vegetables” or “beef has to be antibiotic and hormone free or it’s unhealthy.” If influencers merely agreed with the conventional wisdom and said, “everything in moderation and you will be fine,” that gives potential followers little reason to follow them, since they’re providing nothing in the way of new information. I ran into this on YouTube when I watched videos on roasting and brewing specialty coffee. Apparently, my 10-year-old ($25 dollar used) Krups espresso machine won’t cut it. Supposedly, I need about $5,000 worth of equipment to make a decent cup of coffee, and to follow some coffee gurus on YouTube.
Before social media to build an audience and make media personality your job required majoring in speech, drama or broadcast journalism and getting your foot in the door at a TV or radio station. If successful it often took years before getting the opportunity to appear on the air, often as the sidekick to someone better known. To get your own show you probably had to move around the country, starting with small town radio stations. Then you had to build enough presence to expand and become syndicated. It worked for Rush Limbaugh, Dennis Prager, Sean Hannity and a handful of others but probably thousands have tried and failed to become conservative talk radio sensations. Social media platforms like YouTube and TikTok have truly democratized broadcasting. Nowadays, anyone can make short videos with an iPhone and post commentary online. TikTok is populated with too many smartphone videos recorded in a car, but the bigger YouTube stars have mostly migrated to professional video equipment, advanced video editing with a team of people working for them. But most probably started with an iPhone.
Nicole Bendayan, who has amassed more than 1 million combined followers on Instagram and TikTok for her holistic-health coaching business, shared on social media that she stopped using hormonal birth control because she was concerned about weight gain, low libido and intermittent bleeding, which she had assumed were side effects.
Bendayan’s TikTok about getting off birth control and becoming a “cycle-syncing nutritionist” who teaches women how to live “in tune” with their menstrual cycles has drawn 10.5 million views.
The 29-year-old is not a licensed medical specialist.
It is difficult to say how much money some of these social media influencers earn. They make money off pageviews (sometimes $1,000 a post or sometimes only a nickel per 1,000 views). They often have sponsors who pay them for promoting products and even sell merchandise or information on their websites. Whatever their business model they generally have one thing in common: the ever-present need to grow their channels. Every video features an appeal, “if you like this video click the like button and please subscribe to my channel to receive updates.” More from WaPo:
In recent years, an entire industry has popped up around regulating hormones that experts say is often a cash grab; there is no proven science that the hormone-balancing regimes pushed by some social media influencers such as Bendayan work.
If you watch one conspiracy theory video social media platforms begin forwarding similar videos to you. It’s easy to begin thinking there is a consensus, rather than an algorithm trying to build clicks. YouTube is great for learning new skills, pursuing a hobby and watching entertaining videos (people, cats, dogs, even a prairie dog named Poppy). It’s not a good place to get your news or health information from people seemingly with an ax to grind. Negative (mis)information is everywhere. Especially be wary of contrarian views from people with no expertise.
I have expertise. I am licensed Nationwide for health insurance and the public is helplessly stupid. Nebraska stupid taxpayers have State employees paying $621/month for Family PPO insurance from United Health Care, the world’s largest insurer. Cornhusker taxpayers pay an additional $28,032 each year per family. I’m not hosen you. Trump’s Plan from Allstate is $213 per month for a 30-year-old couple with a child.
Devon if we get this Nebraska State employee to switch to low-cost Free Market health insurance the employee saves $408 every month and the Nebraska taxpayers save $28,032 annually per employee. Plus the entire $35,484 is deducted from the USA Treasury with Income Tax AND Payroll Tax or 40% X $35,484 = $14,193 loss to the Feds!
Devon, write this down. The employee saves $408/month or $4,896/year + State taxpayers save $28,032/year + Federal taxpayers save $14,193/annually = $47,121 Annual Savings on a $35,484 Annual Premium. I’m not done Devon because there is still more savings. After all, the State of Nebraska also has an Income tax that is lost on the $35,484 premium or $1,774 with a 5% State income tax. Add $1,774 State income tax savings plus the $47,121 = $48,895 savings per year, per employee!
Devon, you have a PhD in Economics, has the Government destroyed the health insurance market or what? You will back me up right Devon? If the Nebraska State employee drops her cost from $621 to $213 per month then the employee, the State, and the Federal Government save $48,895 annually. You know how taxes work right? The Government collects Payroll taxes on every single dollar earned from a single-parent mother! The good news is, there is no Payroll tax on Employer HSA deposits! Trust me, Devon, it’s compensation without taxation. It’s smart when employers and employees work together and cut the IRS – OUT!
If the politicians and the press won’t tell you, we will at SAVE101 DOT Com – leading the way with the HSA
Devon, if we switch to the City of Orlando the savings is over $50,000 annually if the employee is 30-years-old! City of Orlando employees pay $1, 207/month or $14,484/year. Trump’s Plan from Allstate for a 30-year-old couple + child is $5,237/year which is $9,247/year premium savings. The Orlando taxpayers premium of $25,068/year is also saved for a total premium savings of $34,315/year. Of course the entire premium of $39,571/year is deducted from both Income Tax and Payroll tax from the IRS or 40% of the premium or $15,828 Federal tax savings. When the $15,828 Federal tax savings is added to the $34,315 premium savings the total savings is $50,143/year!
Admit it you crazy PhD, HSAs turn abusive high premiums and taxes into assets for American employees! Prove me wrong Mr. PhD! Any of you other non-PhDs can prove me wrong too. Good luck people!