TikTok isn’t the first place I’d think of in relation to the concept of the wisdom of crowds, but it seems I may be underestimating the streaming video app …

CNET contributor Justin Eastzer shared the story about being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes – which is mostly treated by moderating sugar consumption – but later learning that he had a form of Type 1 diabetes instead.

What’s remarkable about this is that it was TikTok commenters who first picked up on it.

I was already a tech YouTuber reviewing gadgets on social media, so naturally I decided to begin documenting this on TikTok. I posted videos talking about my diagnosis, using a glucometer to test blood glucose and my results.

These videos exploded with comments telling me to get tested for Type 1 diabetes and that I should treat my diabetes with insulin. I was told to get a C-peptide test to check for autoantibodies and get a correct diagnosis.

Eastzer did so, and TikTok was pretty much right. Specifically, it turned out that he had latent autoimmune disease, or LADA, also known as Type 1.5. This is a variant of Type 1 diabetes, and is treated in the same way – with insulin.

Equally remarkably, that sequence of events led to a new career.

As I learned more about my Type 1 diabetes and the technology used to manage it, I made more videos. After each endocrinologist or diabetes educator visit, I would hop on TikTok and share with people what I had learned. Thus began my channel, Diabetech, where I show people how I manage diabetes and the technologies that exist to help people live better lives. Two years later this hobby of mine would become a full-time career, posting videos weekly to YouTube, TikTok and Instagram, along with a podcast.

Photo by isens usa on Unsplash