Is your Iphone your New Doctor?

Doctors were once our only source of medical advice, but as the internet has developed people are now turning to this free, world wide platform instead of going to seek a professional doctor.


Lewis (2006) in the article 'Seeking health information on the internet: lifestyle choice or bad attack of Cyberchondria' explains the implications of people using the internet to seek medical advice, whether its about lifestyle, health or well being.  This idea is very important but now travels beyond the internet to other media technologies, like the Iphone'. 


Iphone applications are now available and constantly being created. They provide owners with a range of lifestyle, health and fitness programs, including anything from diet plans, to period trackers, to exercise regimes to sleep trackers. This availability and easy access to data, although convenient may be harmful. Lewis (2006) states throughout the article that, consumers must note the source of the information they are reading to ensure that it has been written by a professional. 

                                           Iphone Application List, 2011, Instant Heart Rate - Calculate your Heart Rate

The risk of false or amateur written information is now suffocating not only the internet by our mobiles as well. I am a regular 'application downloader' and previously downloaded fitness and health applications like Sleep Cycle Alarm Clock and Couch to 5km. Although, these applications wouldn't greatly impose on ones' health, there are applications out there that may not be providing accurate information. 

I guess the questions, we need to ask ourselves is - 'how important is your health?' 'would you be willing to forfeit your health to save money?' 'can you trust someone that has made a web page or iphone application?'

References:

Lewis, T. (2006). Seeking health information on the internet: lifestyle choice or bad attack of cyberchondria? Media, Culture & Society, volume 28, issue 4: 521-539.