Don’t google it!

As a translator, my main source of inspiration is… (drum roll) Google! Not sure how a word is spelled? No need to use a dictionary, just google it! First this search engine becomes your homepage, then it turns into your reference when all other pages fail to load (server has timed out, HELP - does Google work? Of course, it’s probably stored in the computer’s memory!). And finally, it takes over your entire life. You start using it for everything: cooking (laptop on the kitchen top and hit the search button), bathroom reading material (who needs books anyway, right? Wait, we could google “free e-books”!) and last but not least Google becomes your doctor (and this is the sad part). 

My real doctor has actually begged me to stop looking up symptoms on Google. In my world, a persistent cold becomes a drug-resistant infection of the entire respiratory tract. A sprain is a broken bone. And an itchy foot must be caused by a tropical insect that somehow flew to the rock and nestled between my toes. Never mind that I’ve been wearing new shoes without socks for a week. That can’t be the cause! 

The truth is, our society has access to a wealth of information that is not filtered. It’s all out there, for anyone to use and misuse. We don’t rely on real human beings any longer. This is alarming in many ways, but even more so when we consider that healthcare has become a virtual reality. We are convinced we don’t need a doctor to diagnose an illness. There are plenty of symptom checkers online, so why bother? Medicines can be ordered online. No questions asked. Is this the world we want our children to grow up in? A world where personal contact is shunned? This is a discussion that can take on many forms, a debate where the focus can shift to countless different topics. I chose to concentrate on health, because this year I’ve been a little under the weather and in between my frequent tips to the doctor, I’ve not once hesitated. I believe in the power of the internet. I know there is quality information out there. And yet I prefer to see a healthcare worker in the flesh. Because nothing beats a handshake, a reassuring look and a comforting smile when you’re coughing your lungs out. Google (Images) has been warned.