A warning on the social media diet

While lounging on the sofa and mindlessly scrolling through social media, a fitness influencer pops up, advertising an amazing overnight oats recipe in a “What I Eat in a Day” vlog. It’s easy to prepare and packed with protein, superfoods, and nutrients. Intrigued, you click on the link, but the price is $70 for just one week’s of supply. However, you want to try it out after hearing the influencer rave, so you buy it. To your dismay, when it arrives two weeks later, the ingredients are in poor condition, and they create something that looks more like a slop compared to the oats that were advertised.

Social media creates an ideal world, but it will always be behind a screen, just beyond one’s reach. But, over and over again, people fall for it — they are blinded by the idea of easy self-improvement and almost expect to shed a few pounds after eating healthy or exercising for one day. This can be especially powerful considering the omniscience of social media, whether it be in the form of “What I Eat in a Day” vlogs, morning routines, supplement hauls, or other baits for engagement.

Viewers are often encouraged to try these products for themselves at the risk of their health for the creator’s monetary benefit, which is clearly an unfair trade. Thus, it becomes critical to be able to differentiate between myths and realities. As a soccer player and weightlifter, Raphael Borentain ’27 has been exposed to dozens of these types of advertisements. It is essential for Borentain to keep his body in good shape, so he has to be able to see through these types of ads.

“A lot of [fitness influencers] act like they got ripped in like two weeks or from drinking one shake a day. But they probably take other stuff or have been working out for years. It’s all for views, honestly,” said Borentain. “I think they mess with people’s heads a bit. Some guys will start eating super clean or doing crazy diets just ‘cause some fitness dude on TikTok said it worked.”

Instead, Borentain advocates for a more accountable system where these influencers take responsibility for the products they choose to endorse. For example, influencers should carefully review products before they advertise them, ensuring that they perform as marketed.

“People look up to them and copy everything they do, so if they’re lying or pushing random products just for money, that’s messed up, especially when it’s about health,” said Borentain.

Advertisements are an inevitable part of social media and can be difficult to resist the attraction of popular trends. However, the consequences of these often misinformative ads can be drastic. For instance, Brian Johnson, known as the Liver King, promoted eating raw organ meats and consuming expensive supplements by claiming his physique was entirely done by doing so. Consequently, teenagers attempted to mimic Johnson’s success through following the regimens and diet that he had advertised in his videos, which often included expensive ingredients. However, Johnson was later found using anabolic steroids but not before hundreds of his teenage followers had wasted money on the supplements, chasing the hope to attain Johnson’s figure.

These occurrences are not uncommon. Though some influencers may offer scientifically-backed insight that proves to be helpful, people need to be vigilant about what they consume and their general well-being. This is the dilemma that modern teenagers face: who or what can we turn to for reliable advice?

Thankfully, the internet’s speed is not only one of its biggest flaws, but it is also arguably its greatest strength. A quick search can yield professional advice or actual u reviews about a certain product. Even better, a plethora of sites offer similar services such as TrustPilot, the Environmental Working Group’s Food Scores, or even Amazon’s review sections.

Whatever the case may be, wellness and diet content on social media isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, but that doesn’t mean it should be consumed mindlessly. While some creators are genuine with their goal of helping people by promoting healthy lifestyles, others spread unrealistic and even at times harmful messages for clout. This is especially damaging for teens as they are still developing their identity, leading to less confidence in themselves for not being able to live up to the false narrative that some influencers create.

Before deciding to buy a new product or start a new routine based on a viral video, take a moment to think about the promoter’s credibility. Doing research is the best way for protection from an online world that favors aesthetics over authenticity and process