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Raw Bytes Computer News KPBX FM 91.1 Radio National Public Radio Network Frank Delaney Producer Broadcast on Wednesday Morning 7:35 AM During Morning Edition Support Public Radio ! The Theater Of the Mind |
In computer news this week 02/11/2009 Are you a cyberchondriac ? CNN had a
feature on this term awhile back, and I find it relevant to anyone who
watches tv and owns a computer today. One of
the biggest changes in television advertising of medicine has been the new
barrage of ads for prescription –only medicines. In the old days we just
had to put up with ads for products like alka-seltzer and bufferin; common
solutions for problems that everyone has – like upset stomach and aches
and pains. And some of these ads actually used to be funny – like the
one with the tag line of “I can’t believe I ate the whole thing
... “ and consumers enjoyed them. But now,
with the aging of the baby-boomer population, we see a whole new generation
of ads for prescription medicine – which can plant fears in your head
and send you running to your computer to surf the internet for answers to
your fears. Whether
you’re a man or a woman, it seems like advertisers have targeted us all
with ads to place that slight doubt in our minds that we might not be as
healthy as we think, and that maybe – based on a tv commercial –
we should run to our doctors demanding medicine for a condition that a tv ad
has placed in our heads. How many
times have you seen those ads for a group of guys trying to watch some
sporting event, and they all miss the big plays because they’re all
running to the restroom repeatedly. I mean, great shades of Senator Larry Craig
– how many trips to a restroom is normal anyway ? Particularly when you’re out
with the guys and downing a lot of suds and having a good time. But now
we have to deal with the question of are we going the normal times or not,
and if not is it because of a normal condition like BPH, or
perhaps is it the onset of a more serious condition like prostate cancer.
Only your doctor can determine your condition. Kind of
reminds me of a popular song back in the 70’s - “I just dropped in to see what
condition my condition was in ...” And before I saw this tv ad I
didn’t know I had any condition ... talk about fear monger advertising In many
cases the tv ad will direct you to their website, where you can take a little
online quiz to see if your symptoms might require a trip to your doctors office to – of course – request their
medicine you saw advertized on tv because you’ve convinced yourself
that you have that problem or condition. To get a
second opinion on your supposed condition you can go to hundreds –
thousands – of other websites – to take other quizzes and collect
other info on your supposed condition. And this is where you can really get in
trouble. The CNN article states You
may be a cyberchondriac if ... you feel worse after Web surfing
instead of better Well
guess what ? When a tv ad plants the notion in
my head that I might have something wrong with me – I’m all over
the web, and in most situations I never completely convince myself that I
don’t have the advertised condition. So
what’s the solution ? Stop watching TV ? And don’t get me started on those Viagra and Cialis ads either .... |
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For Raw Bytes This is Frank Delaney (C) 2008 MTA Micro
Technology Associates http://www.mtamicro.com/kpbx.html PO Box 31522 Spokane, Wa 99223-1522 (509)624-7230 |
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