vs178718@ohio.edu
In regard to social media and mobile communication, advertisers and public relations have transformed into a completely different industry since Avon ladies knocking at our doors. Anyone from our coworker to the President of the Unites States can send a message to millions of people in this country in the blink of an eye. The technology advancements we have made in the past years are amazing and have a lot of great benefits. However, with the convenience of having the power to send a message to millions of people comes a big responsibility that people sometimes loose sight of.
For example, the latest craze on Instagram and Twitter is teatoxing. Whether it is brands like Skinny Mint, SkinnyMe, Flat Tummy Tea, Slendertoxtea, Bootea, and Skinny Teatox, there is a tea being advertised that promises a flat tummy. These teas are being advertised by people called, “influencers.” An influencer is a person with a large following on social media that can get individuals to invest in a product, they influence you. Some of these influencers are everyday people but there are a few you might have heard of. The Kardashians for example, were big advocates for the tea. They post on social media and make claims about losing weight and staying in shape thanks to teatoxing. One might think what tis harm with these women is advertising a tea? The harm falls into the ethic codes they are not following. As an influencer you are advertising something on behalf of a company. Celebrities like the Kardashians make millions of dollars with one Instagram post. This means they are being paid to advertise these teas.
Part of the PRSA ethics code states under honestly, “We adhere to the highest standards of accuracy and truth in advancing the interests of those we represent and in communicating with the public,” (PRSA, 2019). This mean that when you are communicating with the public it is expected you are transparent and honest. With that being said, there are a lot of misrepresentations on teaxoting products. They are said to be promoting a healthy lifestyle and promise to give you a flat stomach and get rid of bloating. However, they fail to mention they act as a laxative and can cause excessive diarrhea which can lead to dehydration, liver damage, and other side effects.
A recent article published by Teen Vouge covered a story by Claudia McNeilly, in the article she covered what these teas contain and how they detox the body. One ingredient she mentioned was senna, which is an FDA approved ingredient mostly found in laxatives. There was a part in the article where McNeily quoted the U.S. National Liberty of Medicine it stated, “Don't use senna for more than two weeks. Longer use can cause the bowels to stop functioning normally and might cause dependence on laxatives. Long-term use can also change the amount or balance of some chemicals in the blood such as, electrolytes, that can cause heart function disorders, muscle weakness, liver damage, and other harmful effects.” (McNeilly, 2016)
There are a lot of side effects influences are failing to mention on their Instagram posts. This creates a problem because people of all walks of life have assess to these posts and are being misled. For this reason, I do not believe the code of ethics are being followed. Under the AAF code of ethics principle four states, “Advertisers should clearly disclose all material conditions, such as payment or receipt of a free product, affecting endorsements in social and traditional channels, as well as the identity of endorsers, all in the interest of full disclosure and transparency.” (AAF, Pg. 6). This means that consumers have a right to know if influencers are being paid to endorse a product because it effects how they perceive a product. There is no transparency being upheld by influencers like the Kardashians. The problem with this is they have a powerful effect over their followers and by claiming they are getting their figures from something as simple as a tea is irresponsible and unethical. It is irresponsible because they are failing to mention the side effects, partnership endorsements, and other invasive procedures they have had done to get the bodies they have. I think the code of ethics do a good job in making sure they cover all the responsibilities advertisers and influencers should have but the truth of the matter is they are not being followed. As time progresses these codes will have to adapt to a changing world to make sure we are holding people accountable.
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