With the rise of social networks, more and more people put their health in the hands of certain profiles that we all know as influencers. The messages are very diverse and are almost always constructed in the form of pseudo-miraculous proposals.
77% of Spanish influencers fail to comply with European regulations and engage in unfair commercial practices. The worst thing, as almost always in these cases, is the torrent of contradictory information. These are some clues to identify less credible or dangerous profiles and also to recognize honest ones. The Spanish Ministry of Consumer Affairs has sent a series of warnings to particularly relevant Spanish influencer profiles. They are warning them of their bad practices and the harsh sanctions to which they are exposed. In most cases, the identities of these profiles are not known, with the exception of some. The main objectives of the research are to highlight the special vulnerability of consumers when faced with their usual advertising messages, since the majority of said content is not easy to identify as such. The issue goes beyond the defenselessness of consumers in the face of content for which it is not known for sure whether it is sponsored or not. Ultimately, and for various reasons, a certain piece of content can be truly nonsense, whether or not it has an immediate economic interest behind it. There are no master formulas to identify nutritional quackery in Social Networks, but there are a series of characteristics that can help us question it or, at least, make us doubt its suitability. But first, we point out three variables that are usually used to convey a certain credibility, and in reality, they do not mean anything. Take note: Having a large account of followers is not a guarantee of trust. You can also have many followers and many likes without having purchased them – for example, having a profile that covers everything from cleaning to makeup, sharing memes and restaurant recommendations at the same time. This activity, which is not easy to unmask, may, in itself, constitute an illegal act, as this legal article clarifies.