Social Media Garbage

Post Reply New Topic

I have a social media friend (someone I actually know) who recently posted a video of some quack psychologist who claims autism is caused by cell phones and baby monitors. The video is of him listing devices that he says should be turned off to avoid having an autistic child. For some reason, I find this really really personally upsetting. The person who posted it does not have autism or any immediate family members with autism. I feel like responding to her post, but I don't know what to say.
Has anyone here experienced anything like this, and if so what did you do/say about it?

It's so absurd that it should be ignored.

Anything absurd should be ignored.

When something is ignored, it tends to go away.

Yes. I have had social media friends post anti vaccine stuff with articles linking it to Autism, I have had friends tag me in articles such as that one about that computer scientist at MIT who said Glucosyne (or something) causes autism, and I have had people tag me in things with fad "cures." Depending on who it is, I sometimes comment saying why I disagree, or pointing out that the MIT scientist was not a neuro scientist and it was just her hobby research, or post one of those comics that point out statistical absurdity or something. Or, sometimes I just explain that I don't agree and that I wouldn't trade my kid for a different version of himself and don't feel desperate to "cure" him of anything (besides there being no cure), etc. If it's just someone I met through a friend in high school, I just ignore.

This is the hilarious thing ever you saw. I would just tell the friend that is a bunch of bull or just say "This is the funniest video ever."

I think it depends on your relationship with the poster and what your priorities are. If your priority is debunking, then you can post something on your page (not necessarily as a response on the other person' page unless you want to be very confrontational) that debunks that person's post. This way, you are refuting in a slightly more subtle way than a direct response and it will hit mutual friends' pages.

If your priority is the relationship, and especially if you think the person would take offense at the above, then you could just directly message them, nicely, and tell them your thoughts, tactfully and discretely so they won't feel embarrassed.

I very carefully and (hopefully) tactfully post why I disagree, being careful not to make the posting friend feel stupid, referencing my involvement with the ASD community, and always applying some JHMO.

I agree KK. The problem is that so many people don't. They're "Desperate" and not scientifically literate so they'll believe anything that sounds like science. I know a registered nurse practitioner who actually put her autistic child through chelation therapy, as if it would do anything. She believed it would though because heavy metal poisoning can cause autism like symptoms... very backwards logic there. Anyway if these masses of scientifically illterate people don't ignore tripe, it becomes a "thing"... I don't fit in with other autism moms because I believe it's ALL tripe (well ok, and I've got aspergers myself) and I'm not willing to accept any merit to any "theory" pertaining to vaccines, parasites, heavy metals, toxins or any "TReatment" that involves feces, parasites, bleach, detoxing, essential oils, not vaccinating. Just coming out and saying "It's all crap", it gets me ostracized simply because it gives SOME people hope and I'm calling it crap. False hope isn't hope. It's a scam and I've no bones about telling people they're being had.

Sorry to rant... but I'm so tired of this. I'm not sure what it says about our population that they're so willing to accept total fiction as fact. I don't know if it's the education system, the culture, or just human nature. But it is very upsetting to me.

I feel the same way. Unfortunately, I think it's the culture and human nature. The education system is a product of the culture. I also think the "social media" aspect is important. The internet has enabled mindless gossip and baseless rumor spreading in an amazing way. What used to be very local and travel slowly is now instantaneously global. Fringe beliefs with appeal to tiny portions of the population suddenly have huge followings because of this.

What it reveals about human nature makes me sad. I used to think better of people and I prefer that illusion. But it's important to remember how even the fringe of the fringe can have a big presence in social media.

There are people who are so desperate that they "grasp at straws."

In their minds, they have "nothing to lose" by going for these fad treatments--when, in reality, they have everything to lose.

Were I stuck on a flimsy, collapsing ledge, thousands of feet above a rocky chasm, I would not grasp at straws but instead use every sense and critical thinking skill I have to try and grasp only those objects in my environment that might support my weight.

A strong fibrous vine would be better than a length of straw. A well-rooted tough and flexible shrub might be better still. A length of nylon rope, firmly attached to a set of pitons alongside a bag with a climbing harness and an emergency locator beacon would be better still.

Such literal thinking! Unbefitting a scientist!

Had this person a family member with autism, I would feel much differently about the post. I would still feel that the video is nonsense, but I would at least understand her interest in it. As my son is, to the best of my knowledge, the only person she knows with autism (I am self-diagnosed and do not share my suspicions with others), I cannot help but feel that it's somehow directed at me. And, since all of the suggestions are for preventing autism, it feels like she's saying A) you damaged your child, and B) my children don't have autism because I have the answer. She is not the kind of person who just posts lots of random links - she hardly ever does.
I'm probably reading way too much into this, but I tend to obsess over things that baffle me.

Depending on your relationship with this person, and his/her temperament, I might do a direct message and say something like, "I know you think this might be helpful to people, but trust me, being in the trenches with an autistic child, and having done a lot of research what you posted is false, and potentially harmful." Then see what happens. If this person was trying to make some other point, s/he'll either say something that tells you so, by doubling down, or awkwardly backtrack. If it was something more generic, the person will probably be more low-key in responding.

(Disclaimer: This hypothesis is based on my really faulty knowledge of people--so yeah...)

I don't know your friend or your relationship with the friend, obviously, but if it was one of my friends posting that, I would not necessarily assume it was directed at me. A lot of my FB friends will just post anything they think is interesting or think is informative without considering that they may be offending somebody in their audience. A few times, my friends have posted this type of garbage. Sometimes they have tagged me, but not to tell me "what I did wrong" but to say "hey, here's another theory." In that case, I usually just respond (not in a confrontational way) that I disagree, and state why. I have also mentioned why these theories can be harmful (again, as nicely as I can). If I thought someone was directly targeting me with this stuff (in a mean way, to make me feel bad on purpose), I would probably unfriend them. I wouldn't see a point in engaging it further, as I would already have the information that they have no interest in being a supportive friend (and not worth my time).

I ended up posting a link to an excerpt from a book about the genetic causes of autism. It explains the theory that narrower definitions of what constitutes autism, combined with less awareness, led to autism being greatly underdiagnosed before the 1990s. She can read it or ignore it as she wishes.

That's a good way to handle it.