Social media boon or bane? Gone are days when it wasn't possible to verify fake information

By Rajiv Shah

The other day, a group of friends, all neighbours, got together to spend some quality time on tea post dinner. As were sipping the hot tea, a middle aged lady, who had joined us, asked all those present not to sip "very hot" tea, as it causes cancer. I found this very strange and asked her what her source was, and she replied, a YouTube video.

The lady's husband asked her to be careful in "these days of fake news", pointing out, YouTube is full of such "nonsense". I agreed. The next day, I decided to search the fake YouTube video to see what it had to say. And lo! I found that the lady wasn't entirely wrong, and there was research which tried to suggest, hot beverages can cause a particular type of cancer.

Instead of YouTube videos, I decided to look at what was written on the subject. And this is the sum total of what I found: Drinking very hot beverages may increase the risk of esophageal cancer, but there is no solid evidence that hot liquids alone are the cause of it. Hot drinks may damage the lining of the esophagus, which can lead to inflammation and cancer. Damaged tissues may also be more vulnerable to other cancer-causing factors, like tobacco smoke.

Further, the search result said: A study of 50,045 people in Iran found that drinking 700 ml of tea at 60°C (140°F) or higher was linked to a 90% higher risk of esophageal cancer. Another study found that drinking very hot tea increased the risk of esophageal cancer, especially for those who smoked or drank excessively. The World Health Organization (WHO) classifies drinking very hot beverages as "probably carcinogenic" to humans.

No doubt, at the time of the information explosion, there are lots of fake news taking rounds on social media -- and YouTube is no exception. However, one good thing is, people have started doubting all that is taking rounds, refusing to accept anything without a pinch of salt. Indeed, gone are the days when the written word alone was considered the gospel truth. Nowadays it is generally possible to find out whether a particular news item is correct or not.

There are those who are extremely negative about social media. It is pointed out that it is the biggest disease infecting our social life. However, even those who say this do not shun social media, including YouTube. It is forgotten that in the past there was no means to find out whether a particular news being spread by anyone -- including those in power -- could not be verified. What appeared in newspapers was considered the final word.

Rumours would spread like wildfire, and there was no way one counter what was being spread during tragic situations like the anti-Sikh genocide following the gruesome murder of Indira Gandhi in 1984. Living in Delhi, on the night of the day the riots began, someone knocked at our door to tell us that we shouldn't drink water as it was contaminated with poison, and the Sikhs had done it. Another rumour said that a train full of murdered Hindus was on its way to Delhi.

While I personally didn't believe in these rumours, as these were meant to incite anti-Sikh feelings among Hindus, there was no way one could communicate with the outside world to point out that one should be wary of such rumours, nor was it possible to verify rumours with fact-checkers as also other non-official sources. It would take at least 24 hours to read the news, if any, on such rumours.

No doubt, rumours continue to be spread today also, and social media is a vehicle for spreading them. However, one often finds rumours are immediately countered -- that too on social media. For instance, in the 1980s it wasn't possible to check news on hot beverages allegedly causing cancer. However, now no more. Surfing on the internet I found a Guardian story titled "Should I worry that my hot drink will give me cancer?"

The story quotes Julie Thompson of Guts UK, a charity devoted to raising awareness around digestive health, as saying that “there are systematic reviews and meta-analyses that show drinking very hot drinks is associated with oesophageal cancer... These are what are called observation studies that look at how many people develop cancer over time."

Thompson adds, "The evidence is that drinking very hot drinks, or eating very hot food – for example soup and porridge – causes damage to the gullet [also known as the oesophagus]. The risk is associated with squamous cell carcinoma, which is a type of cancer that occurs at the top end of the gullet, rather than another type called adenocarcinoma, which occurs further down.”

At the same time, Joel Snape, author of the story, written a year ago, says, "It’s helpful to be aware of the symptoms of oesophageal cancer, as it is more treatable if it is caught in its early stages. Snape quotes Thompson, “It may cause no symptoms until it begins to obstruct passage of food and fluids down the gullet, or to make swallowing painful... it’s crucial that any swallowing problems should be reported to your GP.”

Snape advises: "As for preventive measures, there are no well-defined rules about what temperature increases the risk factor of your drinks – but if you are often drinking coffee or tea without milk, it is sensible to add a dash of cold water or wait for it to cool before you take your first sip. Just don’t give them up entirely – they are far too good for you."

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