This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit rethinkingwellness.substack.com

Researcher Maxine Ali joins us to discuss how wellness micro-influencers and practitioners construct “authentic” online personas to spread misinformation.

We explore the ways that creators with smaller platforms build trust in seemingly less commercial ways than macro-influencers, including: personal stories of illness, medical encounter memes, and hyper-simplified straw man formats. Then Maxine explains why these ways of sharing can lead to powerful parasocial influence that undermines the perceived expertise of medical professionals worldwide.

Behind the paywall, Christy and Maxine unpack what influencers are doing when they’re “truth-telling,” why conspirituality and conspiracy theories thrive online, and how the rise of “mythbusting” has warped into insidious platitudes.

Paid subscribers can hear the full interview, and the first half is available to all listeners. To read the full post and upgrade to paid, go to rethinkingwellness.substack.com.