Youtube - a pwerful medium...

[Gabreille Nelson Mukhia]

YouTube has become a powerful medium of communication in this new millennium. This media can make or break organisations, governments and societies. 

It is not surprising then that every field has taken advantage of this field to spread more awareness about themselves. Not lagging far behind is the industry of hair transplant that is using this medium to promote itself. When one surfs through YouTube, one can find multiple channels wherein the hosts give innumerable information on hair transplant and the various factors associated to it. Therein comes the problem.

1. Not all sources are reliable and genuine. Various vloggers use YouTube as a medium of income. The sole purpose of information sharing gets diluted when this happens. The motive of the channel merely rests on the profit making and the increase in viewership. 

2. Shock value tends to get more viewers and most youtubers will not shy away from using this to gain more followers. It does not matter whether the information being shared is correct or if it is just for garnering more attention.

3. The profits for a youtuber comes through various sources. One of the most important being sponsorship. Only the organisations giving sufficient money will appear in the good books of the vloggers. The rest will be put down and demonized. 

5. Doctors put in years of hard work and research into what they do. Fancy and shiny vlogs muddy the waters of professional experience when they promote information that are against science.

6. Unrealistic expectations are set into the minds of people. This  leads to dissatisfaction and cognitive decline in people who do not have the resources for a dense hair growth.

7. Body image negativity is promoted heavily to guilt the viewers into believing that they require hair transplant to have a happier life. Whereas on the contradictory, happiness does not merely depend on the physical attributes of an individual and all cosmetic surgeries are superficial and elective.

8. Celebrities are used as role models for body goals. The truth being that for celebrities, creating an illusion of perfection is a part and parcel of their livelihood, the common man suffers from low self esteem. There is also a huge difference in the maintenance between a common man and a celebrity. 

9. A lot of other products are sold in the guise of necessity in relation to hair transplant. Serums, shampoos, oils, pills, etc. are indirectly marketed and the viewers are brainwashed into investing their money into unnecessary products.

10. The line between genuine clinics and profit based franchises are blurred beyond repair.

It becomes difficult for a consumer to differentiate between what is genuine and what is not. Eventually this leads to the consumers ending up investing in the wrong places. And to add salt to injury, the results are also devastating. 

YouTube is a powerful medium but now it is up-to the consumers to develop a scientific temper and patience. A thorough research must accompany their time invested in youtube also.