Just Google It

Just Google It

via TechCrunch

“Just Google it” – three words that have become inseparable from our online information culture, and three words that are increasingly becoming the go-to solution for those of us that are too lazy, broke, cynical or just plain embarrassed to go and see a real doctor. The growing ideology surrounding health, Lewis (2006) explains, is one of self management and personal responsibility. New media empowers us to take charge of our own health, rather than just accepting the doctor’s verdict. Now, while I believe the wealth of experience and advice online is invaluable when it comes to the self-diagnosis and management of basic medical queries, I would argue that health is truly the one area where Google doesn’t have all the answers.

There are some things you should just see a doctor for

Image by Natalie Dee

Online information should be considered as part of a broader approach to health management; an approach that sees the online as a starting point for research and a reference point for discussion with a real doctor. My mother was last year misdiagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. A misdiagnosis made by a highly specialised Neurologist. For me this raises one very significant question. If someone with such expertise can make such a dramatic error, what sort of misinformation can be fed out of an anonymous online profile. There are some instances when “just Google it” really isn’t enough.

References

Lewis, Tania. 2006. Seeking health information on the internet: lifestyle choice or bad attack of cyberchondria? Media, Culture & Society 28 (4): 521-539.