Learn how quack medicine of the past can help us identify medical misinformation today.

Medical history is full of “miracle cures”; concoctions that promised total health with dubious evidence of effectiveness. While the issues wrought by these products eventually led to the formation of the FDA, that has not stoped advertisers from using people’s health fears to market products, especially on less regulated platforms like social media. 

In this workshop, we'll explore examples of historic patent and quack medicine, analyze the rhetorical tactics used to market these products, and then apply our analysis to user-generated social media content promoting health products. Additionally, participants will learn how to track down and analyze articles cited as medical evidence in social media content, as well as where to go for reliable, evidence-based health information online.