Hank Green’s viral video shows him feeling “weird” about the advertisements displayed inside his doctor’s office — and the Internet does too.
The video shows Green zooming into an advertisement for a medication playing on a TV screen that’s on the walls of his doctor’s office.
“I’m legitimately curious if I was in the only country where they’ve monetized the walls in the doctor’s office with advertising,” Green says in his video. By Tuesday, Green’s video had over 905,100 views
@hankgreen1 Why are we like this…
♬ original sound – Hank Green
Aside from his best-selling novels, Green is one of the creators of the hit YouTube series “CrashCourse.” He’s also well-known on TikTok for making educational videos, answering people’s science questions, or sharing facts about the way the world works.
But this time, Green’s showing a different type of fact.
The use of a TV screen that Green shows in his video is known as “point of care marketing.” According to advertising company True Impact, this type of marketing, known as “exam room advertising,” places touch screens or TVs inside an exam room. The idea is that touchscreens can help “reimagine the way people visit their doctors,” while “working to improve patient satisfaction and healthcare standards.”
However, Green says that seeing ads in an exam room “feels weird.” Many commenters also shared Green’s sentiment, agreeing that ads placed within doctors’ offices feel eerie.
“My local hospital calls us customers instead of patients,” one user wrote.
“I went to the dentist today and there was a huge ad on the ceiling for you to stare at while getting your teeth cleaned,” another user commented.
“Y’know, the whole advertising of medication in general has always sat weirdly with me,” another wrote.
Medical advertising isn’t necessarily new. The United States is one of two countries that allow prescription drug advertising, which is usually prominent in TV ads. However, the rise of ads appearing inside exam rooms and waiting rooms has inspired op-eds, think pieces, and countless articles about the power of pharmaceutical marketing.
In an article by the State Journal Register, weighing the pros and cons of pharmaceutical marketing, co-authors Qing Yang and Kevin Parker urge people to remember that what they are consuming are advertisements.
“Remember that the main purpose of advertisement is to sell products, not to educate or heal,” they wrote. “Ads are designed to manipulate the viewer’s psychology to maximize the chance of purchase.”
The Daily Dot reached out to Green via TikTok direct message.
