Don’t trust influencers when it comes to dietary information

If there’s anything that society has in common nowadays besides death and taxes, it’s that everybody’s tired. Many people’s first instinct when they wake up is to find their source of caffeine, whether it be coffee, energy drinks or caffeine shots. However, most of these people don’t realize the downside effects that these substances have on them and misinformation is rampant.

Truthfully, it didn’t take much research to find out that energy drinks are not good for humans. Back in high school during nutrition class, I was taught that one of the most addictive drugs in addition to alcohol is caffeine, the substance that many of us consume practically every single day. While caffeine may not be as bad for you as alcohol, the fact that the two are at about the same level of addictiveness is frightening.

The world’s frequent use of caffeine to restore energy and get people through each day creates a huge market for those products. The number of companies that create different types of energy-related products has skyrocketed over the years, and competition is increasing nearly every day. However, some parts of society have become too reliant on caffeine to stay awake throughout the day, and over consumption is not uncommon. As a result, hospitalizations caused by too much caffeine have increased, and individuals unaware of its impacts drink too much too quickly. People’s lack of awareness has even led to death. We hear all the time about a drug or alcohol overdose, but a death caused by too much caffeine is not always making headlines.

Social media tells a different story.

Companies such as Prime Energy, the main provider I featured in my video, target younger generations by advertising on influencers’ social media pages and making their products colorful and fun. Prime, owned and operated by internet celebrities Logan Paul and KSI, has gained a massive following due to their owners’ online presence. They make their products out to be harmless, life-enhancing substances, but fail to disclose the potential side effects. My hope is that this video, targeted at those younger audiences, makes people think twice before buying their next energy drink.

This is exactly what Phillips and Milner were getting at in their VICE article we read during week fourteen. The snarky or inside jokes that people don’t pay attention to quickly add up to something larger. In the case of Prime, their short, fun-to-watch videos that Paul and KSI create in partnership with other brands make the product out to be something that it isn’t. And, when those videos accumulate and reach larger audiences and groups, it’s difficult to stop the misinformation from spreading even further.

The dilemma with media, like democracy, is that it can be both a savior and a foe of spreading the truth. When it comes to energy drinks, media can be used to show not only that the drinks are not good for you but that having them every once in a while likely won’t have too much of an impact. The important part of a media initiative like this is not to scare viewers into thinking that energy drinks are going to be what kills them, but that over consumption is dangerous and people should be wary the next time they think about having an energy drink.

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