Brian Eggo – Putting the Meta into Metastasis
Putting the Meta into Metastasis – How Facebook facilitates the viral spread of cancer misinformation
When Brian’s wife was diagnosed with breast cancer there was just one thing to do: Cry uncontrollably for weeks. Once he’d finished doing that he decided to dip his toes into the murky waters of alternative health groups on social media to see what kind of advice he’d get for his wife’s condition. Join us for an express tour of Facebook-fuelled quackery, conspiracism, grifting, and misplaced goodwill. You’ll even get to try some of the cancer ‚cures‘ on offer, and see just how easy it is to spread dangerous health misinformation on the world’s biggest social media platform.
Brian Eggo has been running Glasgow Skeptics since 2015, and more recently has become involved with the running of Skeptics in the Pub Online. He has spoken at places such as Glasgow Science Centre, Strathclyde University, at the International Humanist Conference, and numerous other Skeptics Groups. He also writes for The Skeptic, and occasionally pops up on shows such as Inkredulous and the European Skeptics Podcast. When he’s not busy with skeptical activism he passes the time with a day job in training & development, a busy family life, and occasional sleep.
