The internet is a great source of information, if you’re looking for something you will find it on the internet. In fact today we can so easily gain information through the internet on health and well being. Information that usually we would only get from a certified medical practitioner. We no longer need a doctor to answer our medical questions. As fellow student Wanda (2011) stated ‘new media is integrating itself into our lives... in the form of medical information.’ The danger with this however is what some are calling a cyberchondriac. Cyberchondriacs are the hypochondriacs of the internet age. They are people who obsessively hunt for information about their health using the internet (Lewis, 2006, p.525). The problem is the information on the internet is not always reliable (Lewis, 2006, p. 526). The internet has no gatekeeper and no regulatory body. Thus, these cyberchondriacs might be feed a misdiagnosis.
However, even certified, credible doctors can get it wrong sometimes. The readings this week reminded me about my friends recent visit to the doctors where his doctor ‘googled’ his symptoms!! It seems like everyone is going to the internet to educate themselves, even those you think wouldn’t need to.
Reference List
Wanda (2011)‘Online Doctors’. Right Now Media, 10th of April. Accessed on the 11th of April 2011. http://rightnowmedia.blogspot.com/
Lewis (2006) ‘Seeking health information on the internet: lifestyle choice or bad attack of cyberchodria.’ Media, Culture & Society. Sage Publishing. Accessed on the 9th of April 2011. http://mcs.sagepub.com.ezp01.library.qut.edu.au/content/28/4/521.full.pdf+html
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