Why do we judge truth by the number of 'likes'?

You open social media and find some health information that catches your eye. A famous influencer with hundreds of thousands of followers says, 'This really worked for me!' The comments section is flooded with 'Me too!' and there are thousands of likes.

What do you think in a moment like that?

'If so many people support it, it must be true.' 'Since that person is saying it, there's no way it's wrong.'

In reality, that very criterion for judgment is the biggest trap in today's information society.

Facing patients every day in a medical setting, I feel the gravity of this problem keenly. Today, let's think together about the power to discern what is truly important information without being swayed by 'who said it'.

An era where 'who said it' outweighs the facts

Have you ever heard the term 'post-truth era'?

This refers to an era where the credibility of information is determined not by objective facts, but by the sender's personality, character, and whether their values align with our own.

It's as if you were judging the taste of a dish by 'who made it' rather than how it actually tastes.

But think about it. Is it really okay to choose information that affects your health based on such criteria?

1. 'Everyone is saying it' is not proof of truth

Do you know the phrase often used by former President Trump?

'A lot of people are saying'

The cleverness of this phrase lies in how it convinces people using only social validity—'it's true because everyone is saying it'—without providing any evidence.

The same thing is happening on social media.

A post with 10,000 likes. Health information that has been shared thousands of times. These things appear as if they are 'truths acknowledged by everyone'.

But wait a minute.

The number of people does not guarantee the accuracy of information. In fact, information that stirs emotions, or content that incites anger or fear, is more likely to be spread.

Sensational lies are easier to attract attention than dull truths. That is the reality of social media.

2. The mental shutdown of 'because that person said so'

We tend to unconditionally trust people who we feel share our own values.

In psychology, this is called "motivated reasoning."

For example, when a celebrity you support shares health information, have you ever thought, "If this person is saying it, it must be true," without verifying their expertise?

Even more dangerous is the existence of "fake experts."

A Nobel Prize-winning physicist talks about medicine outside their field. A renowned economist shares their theories on nutrition.

They are certainly "experts." But that title is for a specific field. It does not guarantee authority in all areas.

This is a psychological phenomenon called the "halo effect," where one excellent trait makes us mistakenly perceive everything about that person as excellent.

It's like assuming that someone who is good at cooking must also be good at cleaning. But in reality, that's not the case, is it?

3. The structure of how influencers become 'super-spreaders'

From here on, I will talk about something more serious.

Why do influential people spread misinformation?

The answer lies in the "attention economy."

In the world of social media, capturing people's attention translates directly into money. Advertising revenue, supplement sales, speaking fees...

And sadly, novel, emotionally stirring rumors and conspiracy theories get overwhelmingly higher engagement than dull truths.

In other words, influencers have a strong economic incentive to spread misinformation.

Furthermore, some influencers position themselves as "allies of the common people who speak the truth" by attacking existing public institutions and media as "enemies of the people."

Within this structure, the misinformation they spread is accepted as "hidden truth."

The impact on the younger generation is particularly serious.

There are survey results showing that those who use TikTok or YouTube as their primary source of information have more than double the trust in influencers compared to those who use traditional media.

Your loved ones might be being manipulated by someone's narrative at this very moment.

When you think about it that way, you should understand the gravity of this issue.

The 'theft of trust' accelerated by technology

The problem is becoming even more complex.

It is the emergence of deepfakes using AI.

A video where a doctor or influencer you trust recommends a specific supplement. A video where they speak about unscientific health information using their own voice and face.

What if that were all fabricated?

In fact, deepfake videos impersonating prominent doctors are spreading in large numbers on platforms like TikTok.

This is an attack that perfectly exploits our psychological vulnerability of thinking, 'If that person I trust says it, it must be true.'

Furthermore, in the initial stages of information spread, bots (automated programs) create the spark. Then, human influencers with many followers pick it up and spread it.

In this way, an explosive 'information cascade' occurs, and society as a whole becomes contaminated.

So, what should we do?

You might have felt a sense of despair after reading this far.

But it's okay.

You have the power to break through this situation.

What is important are these three habits.

1. Look at the information itself, not the sender

Instead of 'who said it,' check 'what the basis is.'

Is it a peer-reviewed paper? An announcement from a public institution? Or just a personal anecdote?

Do not take information at face value if the basis is not clearly stated, no matter how famous the person sharing it is.

2. Practice 'lateral reading'

Make it a habit to cross-check information across multiple independent sources, rather than relying on just one.

Especially for health information, compare it with sites from specialized medical institutions or information from public agencies like the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.

Doing just this will dramatically lower the probability of being deceived by misinformation.

3. Pause when you encounter information that stirs your emotions

When you encounter information that makes you feel anger, fear, or surprise.

It might be a trap designed to stop your thinking and make you press the share button.

When your emotions are stirred, take a deep breath and step back to think.

"Is this information trying to manipulate me?"

The habit of asking yourself this will protect you.

You can become someone who cannot be deceived

The waves of the information society will only become more intense from here on out.

AI will continue to evolve, deepfakes will become more sophisticated, and the influence of influencers will likely expand even further.

However, whether you are swept away by them is up to you.

The term "critical thinking" might sound difficult.

But what you actually do is simple.

Stop and think. Check the source of the information. Verify from multiple perspectives.

With just these simple steps, you can change from being the one who is "manipulated" to the one who "sees through it."

In the medical field, I have seen it many times.

People who ended up in irreversible situations because they believed in incorrect health information.

That is exactly why I want to convey this.

You have the power to discern correct information. You have the power to protect your loved ones. You have the power to survive in this information society.

Start using that power from today.

Do not be swayed by the number of 'likes'. Do not believe the words of celebrities uncritically. Do not be carried away by emotions; stop and think.

When you can do that, you will become 'free' in the true sense of the word.

You will be able to live by your own judgment, not by someone else's narrative.

That is the ultimate survival strategy in this complex information society.

Let's become people who cannot be deceived, together.

(Created with Gemini 3.0 pro Deep Research, NotebookLM, and Claude sonnet 4.5)

#InformationLiteracy #LivingInTheSNSAge #DontGetDeceivedByFakeNews #TheInfluencerTrap #CriticalThinking