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    Privacy˙Terms˙
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    latch

    US /lætʃ/

    ・

    UK /lætʃ/

    B2
    v.t.Transitive VerbTo tightly attach yourself to something
    The bugs latch on to the dog's fur
    n.NounA (door lock)
    He undid the door latch, then opened the door

    Video subtitles

    How can you spot a TikTok wellness scam? - What in the World podcast, BBC World Service

    15:15How can you spot a TikTok wellness scam? - What in the World podcast, BBC World Service
    • So it's kind of easy to say like, oh drink more water or eat a more balanced meal, but a lot of people have kind of tried this before or are already doing it in their life, so it doesn't kind of seem like something you can really easily latch on to. Whereas when you say cut out all carbs, that's like a new thing that you can bring into your life that feels like you're really changing something. So trends tend to be something that's new, kind of strange sounding, and something that you can easily latch on to that people think may improve their life. Now we should point out that in terms of the wellness industry, not everything is a scam. As you said up top, it's a massive industry and there are indeed products that are backed by scientific evidence. My question for you is this though, where is the line? When does it become problematic? It's really tough to draw that line sometimes because you've got most of the trends that I see tend to be kind of in this middle area where they don't work, but they don't cost you money, so it's not really an issue if people want to try them. It may lead to something, it may make you happier in some way, but it kind of is this middle ground where, oh it is a lie, but at least there's no direct harm being caused. And then you have the next step, which is selling a product that may not have any harms, costs a lot of money, but also doesn't work. So that's actually ripping people off. Then you've got the next step where someone tries a wellness trend or believes in these products so much that they don't then seek mainstream medical care. That's really problematic because it delays treatment, it can delay prevention, which is really the most important point in medical care, and it can cause people to have a bit of distrust in mainstream medicine and think that this maybe natural solution that an influence is selling is better than a pharmaceutical or doctor recommended treatment. And then there's the last step where influencers recommend products or regimes that are actively harmful. So this is when they recommend disordered eating habits or a product that has a high concentration of some chemical or some, I don't know, byproducts that can actually cause harm. Now I think it's easy for people to watch this and say, oh how could people fall for these scams? But the fact is there are a lot of vulnerable people. Perhaps they have consulted a doctor, they haven't found a solution, and they sincerely want that solution. Do you think that plays in to this becoming so popular, this trend taking off? It's so easy to be swept up when you're seeing video after video after video from these beautiful influencers who've changed their lives and look at that and be like, wow, I want to feel like, I want my gut to be healthy, I want my hormones to be balanced. These terms are meaningless and gut health, for example, is so complex. An influencer on TikTok is not going to know how to solve it. We talked about aspiration, we talked about people seeking a solution. Are there any other reasons that these online trends go viral, that they're so effective for the influencer in promoting themselves? I think one thing that these viral trends tend to do really well for influencers is to be a successful influencer, you need to have a story, you need to have a character arc. These wellness trends are a really easy way to create a character arc for yourself. You could say, come with me on my journey to heal my cortisol levels. It's one of those things where, okay, well now I'm going to tune in and see if this influencer does heal their cortisol. Even if they're doing completely separate things. One trend that people may have seen is cortisol face, which is when there's just like a bit of fat in your face.

      So it's kind of easy to say like, oh drink more water or eat a more balanced meal, but a lot of people have kind of tried this before or are already doing it in their life, so it doesn't kind of seem like something you can really easily latch on to. Whereas when you say cut out all carbs, that's like a new thing that you can bring into your life that feels like you're really changing something. So trends tend to be something that's new, kind of strange sounding, and something that you can easily latch on to that people think may improve their life. Now we should point out that in terms of the wellness industry, not everything is a scam. As you said up top, it's a massive industry and there are indeed products that are backed by scientific evidence. My question for you is this though, where is the line? When does it become problematic? It's really tough to draw that line sometimes because you've got most of the trends that I see tend to be kind of in this middle area where they don't work, but they don't cost you money, so it's not really an issue if people want to try them. It may lead to something, it may make you happier in some way, but it kind of is this middle ground where, oh it is a lie, but at least there's no direct harm being caused. And then you have the next step, which is selling a product that may not have any harms, costs a lot of money, but also doesn't work. So that's actually ripping people off. Then you've got the next step where someone tries a wellness trend or believes in these products so much that they don't then seek mainstream medical care. That's really problematic because it delays treatment, it can delay prevention, which is really the most important point in medical care, and it can cause people to have a bit of distrust in mainstream medicine and think that this maybe natural solution that an influence is selling is better than a pharmaceutical or doctor recommended treatment. And then there's the last step where influencers recommend products or regimes that are actively harmful. So this is when they recommend disordered eating habits or a product that has a high concentration of some chemical or some, I don't know, byproducts that can actually cause harm. Now I think it's easy for people to watch this and say, oh how could people fall for these scams? But the fact is there are a lot of vulnerable people. Perhaps they have consulted a doctor, they haven't found a solution, and they sincerely want that solution. Do you think that plays in to this becoming so popular, this trend taking off? It's so easy to be swept up when you're seeing video after video after video from these beautiful influencers who've changed their lives and look at that and be like, wow, I want to feel like, I want my gut to be healthy, I want my hormones to be balanced. These terms are meaningless and gut health, for example, is so complex. An influencer on TikTok is not going to know how to solve it. We talked about aspiration, we talked about people seeking a solution. Are there any other reasons that these online trends go viral, that they're so effective for the influencer in promoting themselves? I think one thing that these viral trends tend to do really well for influencers is to be a successful influencer, you need to have a story, you need to have a character arc. These wellness trends are a really easy way to create a character arc for yourself. You could say, come with me on my journey to heal my cortisol levels. It's one of those things where, okay, well now I'm going to tune in and see if this influencer does heal their cortisol. Even if they're doing completely separate things. One trend that people may have seen is cortisol face, which is when there's just like a bit of fat in your face.

    • So it's kind of easy to say, like, "Oh, drink more water," or "Eat a more balanced meal," but a lot of people have kind of tried this before or are already doing it in their life, so it doesn't kind of seem like something you can really easily latch onto.

      So it's kind of easy to say, like, "Oh, drink more water," or "Eat a more balanced meal," but a lot of people have kind of tried this before or are already doing it in their life, so it doesn't kind of seem like something you can really easily latch onto.

    B1

    9 Ways to Feel More Comfortable in Groups

    13:249 Ways to Feel More Comfortable in Groups
    • and there'd be a group of people, I'm like, "Oh, I don't want to talk to anyone." What I do is I latch on to one person.

      and there'd be a group of people, I'm like, "Oh, I don't want to talk to anyone." What I do is I latch on to one person.

    • So, latch on to one person means that you're like, "Hi, will you be my friend?" Yes, perfect.

      So, latch on to one person means that you're like, "Hi, will you be my friend?" Yes, perfect.

    A2

    Why Is It Impossible To Make Another Good Jurassic Movie?

    09:50Why Is It Impossible To Make Another Good Jurassic Movie?
    • In another attempt to latch onto what it thinks made the original important, "III" focuses on familial connections.

      In another attempt to latch onto what it thinks made the original important, "III" focuses on familial connections.

    • In another attempt to latch onto what it thinks made the original important, 3 focuses on familial connections.

      In another attempt to latch onto what it thinks made the original important, 3 focuses on familial connections.

    B1

    8 Signs You're With The Wrong Friends

    04:398 Signs You're With The Wrong Friends
    • Old friends often latch on to an outdated image of you.

      Old friends often latch on to an outdated image of you.

    • Old friends often latch onto an outdated image of you.

      Old friends often latch onto an outdated image of you.

    B1

    The Bizarre History of Gasoline | WheelHouse

    06:33The Bizarre History of Gasoline | WheelHouse
    • The nozzle latch clicked and my tank was full, but I was full of nothing but questions. Why is gasoline the fuel of our society?

      The nozzle latch clicked and my tank was full, but I was full of nothing but questions. Why is gasoline the fuel of our society?

    • The nozzle latch clicked, and my tank was full, but I was full of nothing but questions.

      The nozzle latch clicked, and my tank was full, but I was full of nothing but questions.

    B1

    Quince Front Pocket Carry-On Suitcase 21" Review + What We Pack

    11:24Quince Front Pocket Carry-On Suitcase 21" Review + What We Pack
    • Yeah, the original version had like this really skinny kind of wavy type of tabs and I think um, they listened to Everyone's critiques because that was one thing that we didn't like about the last suitcase was that was the only thing actually that we didn't Like was that it would always get stuck within the zipper or it wouldn't latch on correctly Now they've actually made these tabs thicker So they're a lot more easier to handle and doesn't get stuck within the zipper anymore.

      Yeah, the original version had like this really skinny kind of wavy type of tabs and I think um, they listened to Everyone's critiques because that was one thing that we didn't like about the last suitcase was that was the only thing actually that we didn't Like was that it would always get stuck within the zipper or it wouldn't latch on correctly Now they've actually made these tabs thicker So they're a lot more easier to handle and doesn't get stuck within the zipper anymore.

    • The original version had, like, this really skinny kind of wavy type of tabs, and I think, um, they listened to everyone's critiques because that was one thing that we didn't like about the last suitcase, was that was the only thing, actually, that we didn't like was that it would always get stuck within the zipper or it wouldn't latch on correctly.

      The original version had, like, this really skinny kind of wavy type of tabs, and I think, um, they listened to everyone's critiques because that was one thing that we didn't like about the last suitcase, was that was the only thing, actually, that we didn't like was that it would always get stuck within the zipper or it wouldn't latch on correctly.

    B1

    How to Study Effectively: 8 Advanced Tips - College Info Geek

    13:56How to Study Effectively: 8 Advanced Tips - College Info Geek
    • So if you don't really understand a problem or maybe there's one tiny little section that you wouldn't have gotten but your partner does, you're going to latch onto their answer.

      So if you don't really understand a problem or maybe there's one tiny little section that you wouldn't have gotten but your partner does, you're going to latch onto their answer.

    • going to latch onto their answer. You're going to say, "Yeah, I sort of get that," and you're

      going to latch onto their answer. You're going to say, "Yeah, I sort of get that," and you're

    A2

    $350 Vietnam Apartment Tour in Hanoi | LIFE IN VIETNAM

    23:36$350 Vietnam Apartment Tour in Hanoi | LIFE IN VIETNAM
    • There's a little latch down here.

      There's a little latch down here.

    • Little latch down here.

      Little latch down here.

    B1

    How YOU can Travel Full Time & Make Money on Social Media - 10 Tips to become a Digital Nomad

    25:23How YOU can Travel Full Time & Make Money on Social Media - 10 Tips to become a Digital Nomad
    • Make sure you give them a brand identity they can latch onto and want to support.

      Make sure you give them a brand identity they can latch onto and want to support.

    • they can latch onto and want to support,

      they can latch onto and want to support,

    A2

    Top 20 Facts About Superman

    18:00Top 20 Facts About Superman
    • The books were quick to latch on to the radio's Kryptonite as a challenge for the powerful Man of Tomorrow.

      The books were quick to latch on to the radio's Kryptonite as a challenge for the powerful Man of Tomorrow.

    • The books were quick to latch on to the radio's Kryptonite as a challenge for the increasingly powerful Man of Tomorrow.

      The books were quick to latch on to the radio's Kryptonite as a challenge for the increasingly powerful Man of Tomorrow.

    B2