YouTuber Dr Mike Varshavski has said that professional doctors could positively affect the spread of misinformation on social media.
The YouTuber, known online as Doctor Mike, received 1.2 billion views last year, with people seeking health advice across his social media platforms. His YouTube channel has more than 13.2 million subscribers and he has 4.4 million Instagram followers.
“I think doctors didn't immediately go to social media because they were worried about being labelled unprofessional,” he told The National at the 1 Billion Followers Summit in Dubai. “They thought they would somehow lose their credibility, their prestige, but that's the furthest thing from the truth.”
Dr Varshavski said using social media allowed medics to teach people skills to help others. “There's nothing more rewarding than seeing an email come across your inbox saying, 'You helped me save my loved one's life,'” he said.
Saving lives
The catchphrase on his channel is “chest compressions, chest compressions, chest compressions”.
“By teaching that on a big stage like social media, we've been able to save countless lives,” he said. “There's actually even a higher value to social media – you could also advocate in your government the changes in your community.”
Dr Varshavski has gained a loyal following, which he attributes to being honest with his audience.
“I found that we live in the era of certainty and false promises and overconfidence and I think, when you lead with that level of humility plus transparency, I think you get a really good result,” he said.
Earning credibility
It is common for people who experience health issues to use Google to find answers, but Dr Varshavski cautioned against believing everything found online. “I think it's because of the quickness of getting an answer,” he said.
“Everyone's first reaction when they get some sort of health information or health news is to pull out their phone and search for an answer. The problem with that is you don't always get quality sources, especially on social media.”
One of the reasons he decided to use YouTube to deliver medical advice is because the platform verifies the content, ensuring that his credibility remains intact.
“YouTube does a step above by verifying who's an actual medical professional versus someone who's just putting on a white coat and pretending to be one,” he said.
However, the spread of unverified medical advice online remains an issue. “It's very easy to go viral when you go against the constitutional norm,” he said.
“The reality is a lot of these conspiracy people don't have the data, they don't have the knowledge and, as a result, they're just peddling their feelings as facts, and that's not good.”
The 1 Billion Followers Summit – in pictures
Panipat
Director Ashutosh Gowariker
Produced Ashutosh Gowariker, Rohit Shelatkar, Reliance Entertainment
Cast Arjun Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt, Kriti Sanon, Mohnish Behl, Padmini Kolhapure, Zeenat Aman
Rating 3 /5 stars
What%20is%20Dungeons%20%26%20Dragons%3F%20
%3Cp%3EDungeons%20%26amp%3B%20Dragons%20began%20as%20an%20interactive%20game%20which%20would%20be%20set%20up%20on%20a%20table%20in%201974.%20One%20player%20takes%20on%20the%20role%20of%20dungeon%20master%2C%20who%20directs%20the%20game%2C%20while%20the%20other%20players%20each%20portray%20a%20character%2C%20determining%20its%20species%2C%20occupation%20and%20moral%20and%20ethical%20outlook.%20They%20can%20choose%20the%20character%E2%80%99s%20abilities%2C%20such%20as%20strength%2C%20constitution%2C%20dexterity%2C%20intelligence%2C%20wisdom%20and%20charisma.%20In%20layman%E2%80%99s%20terms%2C%20the%20winner%20is%20the%20one%20who%20amasses%20the%20highest%20score.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
RESULT
Bayern Munich 3 Chelsea 2
Bayern: Rafinha (6'), Muller (12', 27')
Chelsea: Alonso (45' 3), Batshuayi (85')
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
|
1.
|
United States
|
|
2.
|
China
|
|
3.
|
UAE
|
|
4.
|
Japan
|
|
5
|
Norway
|
|
6.
|
Canada
|
|
7.
|
Singapore
|
|
8.
|
Australia
|
|
9.
|
Saudi Arabia
|
|
10.
|
South Korea
|
Company profile
Name: Thndr
Started: October 2020
Founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: pre-seed of $800,000
Funding stage: series A; $20 million
Investors: Tiger Global, Beco Capital, Prosus Ventures, Y Combinator, Global Ventures, Abdul Latif Jameel, Endure Capital, 4DX Ventures, Plus VC, Rabacap and MSA Capital
Company Profile
Company name: Yeepeey
Started: Soft launch in November, 2020
Founders: Sagar Chandiramani, Jatin Sharma and Monish Chandiramani
Based: Dubai
Industry: E-grocery
Initial investment: $150,000
Future plan: Raise $1.5m and enter Saudi Arabia next year
Family reunited
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was born and raised in Tehran and studied English literature before working as a translator in the relief effort for the Japanese International Co-operation Agency in 2003.
She moved to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies before moving to the World Health Organisation as a communications officer.
She came to the UK in 2007 after securing a scholarship at London Metropolitan University to study a master's in communication management and met her future husband through mutual friends a month later.
The couple were married in August 2009 in Winchester and their daughter was born in June 2014.
She was held in her native country a year later.
Tree of Hell
Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla
Director: Raed Zeno
Rating: 4/5
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The Buckingham Murders
Starring: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ash Tandon, Prabhleen Sandhu
Director: Hansal Mehta
Rating: 4 / 5
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015
- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany
- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people
- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed
- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest
- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France
Youth YouTuber Programme
The programme will be presented over two weeks and will cover the following topics:
- Learning, scripting, storytelling and basic shots
- Master on-camera presence and advanced script writing
- Beating the algorithm and reaching your core audience
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
