We can learn from Bec's mistake during isolation. Photo / Instagram
COMMENT:
What kind of a world do we live in where we can't even trust our favourite rappers to deliver accurate, up-to-the-second analysis of a global health pandemic?
It's so hard to know who to trust these days.
A new study has found celebrities like rapper Wiz Khalifa are the "super-spreaders" of misinformation during times of crisis.
Researchers from the Queensland University of Technology's Digital Media Research Centre looked at the online spread of unfounded claims during the Covid-19 outbreak and found the increased circulation nearly always correlated with celebs yakking on about them on social media.
One conspiracy theory going around recently is that 5G has been increasing and causing the spread of the coronavirus.
Wiz Khalifa got behind it, posting a video on Facebook and tweeting to his millions of followers: "Corona? 5G? Or both?" Then actor Woody Harrelson and some other stars gave it more gas with social media posts and mainstream media picked it up and suddenly people were burning down 5G cell towers.
But it turns out the claims are bogus and, in short, we probably shouldn't be getting our news updates from Wiz Khalifa. Shocker, right?
Researchers also said we shouldn't be getting our news from memes or your aunt's grumpy Facebook rants. Okay, the researchers didn't say that. Sorry, I didn't mean to go all Wiz Khalifa and spread my own fake news. But I stand by that statement. Aunty Janine doesn't know what she's talking about. The only information you should get from your crazy Facebook aunt is in relation to what the best pinot grigio is for under 20 bucks.
So, celebrities aren't experts in global science. Huh. Please just give me a moment. All my understanding of society has just flown right out the window. I'm feeling lost and confused.
I've been getting my news exclusively from Wiz Khalifa's Twitter for years. Okay, that's a lie – sometimes I get my US election analysis from JLo's Instagram and occasionally I'll get my stock-market updates from Gwyneth Paltrow's TikTok.
It's hard to believe Wiz let us down like this. You mean we can't trust the man responsible for such hits as We Dem Boyz? The very man who rapped the sage words: "Let's get it poppin', I said let's get it poppin'. Just look at how she drop it, lil mama a certified pro. She need her own show, slide on down that pole and grind slow".
By the way, I want that song played at my funeral. (I also want to be taxidermied and propped up by the escalators at the David Jones Food Hall in Westfield Bondi Junction. But that's a conversation for my lawyer).
This study doesn't mean we can't learn from celebrities. They have a wealth of experience that we can tap into and use in our everyday lives – especially in isolation.
Like British stylist Trinny Woodall, who was filming a makeup tutorial this week when her naked partner accidentally walked into shot.
The lesson? Always tell your partner before you go live on social media or begin any work video conference calls at home. It'll save everyone from humiliation. The last thing you want is for your partner to yell out from the bathroom, "Hey babe, is this your (insert name of embarrassing ointment)?"
Bec Judd also taught us a valuable lesson.
After posting a workout video she noticed there was (what looked like) a rogue pair of dirty jocks dangling in the background and promptly deleted it, probably after shrieking.
Lesson? Put your crap away.
Again, this is an important tip for any video conference calls you're doing but it also applies to selfies you share on dating apps. Nothing ruins a classy nude pic like a toilet in the background. At least close the lid. Also, clean the toothpaste splatters off the bathroom mirror. And just clean up your bedroom in general.
Celebrities: Making mistakes so we don't have to.
• Covid19.govt.nz: The Government's official Covid-19 advisory website