The recent Spotify controversy over Joe Rogan's statements regarding the COVID pandemic and treatment of the disease begs the question about how much trust we can put into content creators and social media influencers.
Last month, Joe Rogan, host of the Joe Rogan Experience podcast with millions of weekly listeners, has come under intense fire for his statements regarding the COVID pandemic and the treatment of the disease. Famous musicians such as Neil Young and Joni Mitchell have pulled their music from Spotify, the host platform of the show, citing the show’s support of “spreading lies that are costing people their lives.” With this controversy in full swing, how much trust can we place in the statements of popular content creators, and how do some of their claims stack up against the truth?
Do children and teens really need the COVID vaccine?
Some content creators have argued against the idea of non-adults receiving the vaccine. Dr. Vernon Coleman, a British doctor with over 200,000 followers on YouTube, has argued that the vaccine is a "dangerous poison straight out of the witches’ cauldron in Macbeth", and that children can face illness or death from unnecessary injections. Other social media posts this past summer 
tried to argue that the World Health Organization (WHO) had advised to stop giving the Pfizer vaccine to teens and younger children, when in fact the WHO was being cautious in the gradual rollout of the vaccine to younger groups.
While it is true that children tend to be more disease-resistant and make up a small fraction of the serious cases of COVID in this country, the number of recent infections due to the Omicron variant of the disease has skyrocketed. Recent numbers have shown that 11.4 million children have tested positive for COVID-19 since the onset of the pandemic, with a peak week of 1.15 million cases for the week of January 20th. Most children will make a full recovery from the virus, but others may develop MIS-C (multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children) that can lead to organ damage to the heart and other organs. As of this month, it is estimated that over 6,000 children have contracted MIS-C due to COVID, with 55 documented deaths so far. If anything, the need for children to be vaccinated seems to be greater than ever, thanks to the most contagious Omicron variant.
Are the COVID vaccines really "gene therapy"?
Dr. Steven Hotze, a talk show host and YouTuber from Texas, has consistently argued that the COVID vaccine is a form of dangerous experimental gene therapy that can damage and alter your genetic structure. A similar claim was made by Dr. David Martin on the WISE Traditions podcase in January 2021, claiming that the vaccine is "sending a strand of synthetic RNA into the 
human being and is invoking within the human being, the creation of the S1 spike protein, which is a pathogen. It’s a toxin inside of human beings." Alex Berenson, a spy novelist and former reporter who often lends his voice to the podcast circuit, has also called out the vaccine companies for hiding how their vaccines can alter your DNA.
While gene therapy can be used to treat certain conditions such as certain lymphomas and muscular atrophy, the COVID vaccines do not infect your DNA (your genetic code inside of your cells’ nucleus). They are mRNA (messenger RNA) vaccines instead, which go to the ribosomes in your cells to manufacture spike proteins. These proteins help to trigger antibodies to target and kill infected cells. But at no time do the vaccine particles enter the nucleus of your cells, so it is not gene therapy or a DNA altering vaccine.
Even though misinformation is rampant on social media, don't write off content creators and influencers completely! Especially in Europe, many governments are using influencers to combat misinformation, especially among younger audiences. Other influencers, like jessicamalatyrivera, are combating COVID misinformation on their own by busting myths her followers send her, and others, like unbiasedscipod, are simply spreading facts without political bias. If you are a dedicated podcast listener, there are other podcasts on Spotify like In the Bubble with Andy Slavitt that interview COVID response leaders and verified medical professionals.
So, while some influencers, celebrities, and content creators are spreading misinformation on social media, there are many others who do serve a useful purpose during the pandemic by disseminating information quickly to audiences who might not receive it via traditional means. The key is discerning between the two with digital literacy. In the end, if you are ever uncertain if someone is spreading misinformation, you can always look to respected national, state, and local resources for help–even your friendly public library system.
