Dear Celebs, Let Us Leave COVID-19 Care Tips For Experts

COVID-19 and proning: Television actor Nia Sharma took to social media on Wednesday and talked about how celebrities are sharing tips on proning-- a breathing exercise getting popular for temporary treatment of COVID-19 patients who face difficulty in breathing.

The actor in her tweet addressed those celebrities as "woke celebs" and asked them to amplify videos made by doctors instead of sharing their personal take on a sensitive medical method.

To those ‘Woke celebs’ now teaching
Proning technique on social media
Kindly amplify the doctors’ videos if at all you want to spread awareness.
You clearly didn’t know anything about it before doctors introduced it.
‘Google’ bhi hai hamare paas.#Proning

— NIA SHARMA (@Theniasharma) May 5, 2021

Recently, while some celebrities have been sharing relevant information in terms of hospital bed leads, oxygen cylinders and essential drug availability, some famous personalities have mistaken themselves as experts and are sharing anything and everything. Call it a trend or a desperate attempt at gaining traction and attention during a time when the country is grappling with the second wave of COVID-19.

Is It Responsible Enough To Share Unverified Information?

Some 'influencers' on social media had also shared sensitive information about the adoption of orphaned children who saw their parents pass away in the current COVID-19 wave. According to Smriti Irani, the Minister of Women and Child Development, sharing such information is illegal as it can lead to the trafficking of those children.

Bollywood celebrity Nora Fatehi and actor Shefali Jarriwala recently took to social media and shared their tips on the proning method. We must know the difference between the information spread by such personalities with little or no medical expertise and the ones who actually have experience, knowledge and certificates to give out medical tips and advice.

Why do celebrities have to know about everything?

Saloni Chopra, an actor, recently took to Instagram to express rage over people who keep asking her take matters including, politics, the pandemic and different matters of public concern. She said that celebrities can only express their opinion on such subjects and hardly any reliable information. She even tagged several news outlets for her followers to peruse in case they want to actually learn about what is happening all around.

Picture credit: Saloni Chopra/Instagram

Being a fan is one thing but is relying on our favourite artists and social media personalities for vital information really wise? Moreover, the chances are that our favourite celebrities' knowledge on certain subjects is not more than us or our most informed friend. Just because they make headlines, doesn't mean they are the experts in all matters of the world.

It is also not healthy for celebrities when they are pressured by their followers to have a take on sensitive matters. They can choose to not say anything because unlike the government they do not owe their statements to the masses.

Being a fan is one thing but is relying on our favourite artists and social media personalities for vital information really wise?

Are celebrities ready to deal with the consequences of misinformation spread by them?

Celebrities are not really accountable for the misinformation they can intentionally or unintentionally share on their personal social media pages. While they are allowed to share their views, any misinformation propagated by them can cause much damage. They should be aware of the impact they can have on their followers and share information that is verified by experts.

We as the demographic that heavily depends on information shared on social media should be careful not to believe anything famous people say just because they have an army of followers commenting on and liking their posts.

Check out this video where doctors bust COVID-19 vaccine myths: